Don Juan de Vargas was scribe (escribano), or secretary, to the king of Spain, from 1585 until his death in 1620. His house is one of the finest colonial residences in Tunja. A garden in bloom occupies a courtyard that is reminiscent of cloisters. Upstairs a series of Muisca ceramics found in the region's tombs is displayed. Look up at the ceiling, where elephants, sibyls, Christian symbols and a rhinoceros inspired by Albrecht Dürer's etching are painted.