The construction of the building began in 1782 and culminated in 1802 and was owned by Real Ensign Juan Salvador Algarra, one of the lending personalities of the then Villa de Zipaquirá. The building was the headquarters of several educational institutions in Zipaquirá, it also served as an army barracks during the civil war in 1895. In this place, Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez joined the academy in 1943 to train academically, since at that time the building was the National Boys School. In 2009 it was remodeled and became the Gabriel García Márquez Cultural Center; it currently serves as a headquarters for training studies in arts, letters and crafts and is considered one of the flagship tourist attractions of the municipality.
