Melgar, Colombia
Encyclopedia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n town in the Department of Tolima, 98 km southwest of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
and 1 hour north of Ibagué
Ibagué
Ibagué is the capital of the department of Tolima in Colombia. It is situated 1,285 m above sea level, on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Central between the Chipalo and Combeima rivers, tributaries of the Coello River...
, the capital city of Tolima.
Melgar is located in the Sumapaz River Valley and borders the Department of Cundinamarca and Sumapaz River to the north, town of Icononzo to the east, the towns of Cunday at the south and Carmen de Apicala to the west.
The town is home to a major military base called Tolemaida Air Base
Tolemaida Air Base
Tolemaida Air Base is an Colombian military air base located in Melgar, a municipality of the Tolima department in Colombia.- Facilities :The air base resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has two runways: 04/22 has an asphalt pavement measuring and 04L/22R with a concrete surface...
.
Melgar is a very popular weekend destination for Bogota residents. Temperature ranges between 28°-35° Celsius. It is known in Colombia as the "City of the Swimming Pools" or the "Sea of Swimming Pools" because of its more than 5,000 swimming pools. It is a major inland resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
, which the people of Bogotá visit on weekends to flee the capital's cold weather for the warm climate of the valley.
History
The first settlement was called "Cualamana", later change to "Villa de Nuestra Señora de Altagracia. In 1601 its name was changed to "La Candelaria", given by Captain Juan Lopez de Herrera. It was the site of an ancient AmerindianIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
village that belonged to the Panches.
In the early 18th century the village was destroyed by a fire when the local religious celebrations were taking place. The village was rebuilt in 1789 by the Dominican community in the grounds owned by Cardenas Varastegui at the valley of the Sumapaz River. In the early days the place was called "Valle de Melgar". In 1824, the village was part of the Department of Cundinamrca, together with Tibacuy, Pasca, Pandi and Cunday. In 1851 the population was approximately 2,600 people and the economy was based on the production of quina.
In 1855, became part of Province of Neiva, together with Cunday and Carmen de Apicalá. By then, Melgar was also producing coffee. By decree issued on November 13th, 1871 Melgar was elevated to the status of town. Melgar became part of the Department of Tolima after its creation.
