From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca
El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca
El Cerrito
— Municipality and town —
Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): Ciudad Cariño
Motto: Paz y Virtud
El Cerrito
Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 3°40′N 76°10′W / 3.667°N 76.167°W / 3.667;
-76.167
Country Colombia
Department Valle del Cauca Department
Elevation 967 m (3,173 ft)
Population
• Total 56,032
Location of the municipality and town of El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca in
the Valle del Cauca Department of Colombia. Time zone Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5)
Website http://elcerrito-valle.gov.co/
El Cerrito is a town and municipality located in the
Department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. This is one of
the 42 municipalities of the department.
The town is known for having within its jurisdiction
the hacienda "El Paraíso", where the writer Jorge Isaacs
lived and set his novel María. Part of its territory also be-
longs to the Parque Nacional Natural Las Hermosas. Is sit-
uated 47 km east to Cali, the capital of the department.
Toponim
The name of the municipality and the head is of Spanish
origin (El Cerrito translates literally into English as The
Small Hill), and it refers to the hill where the population
resides. It is a massif in the Colombian Andes Region.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca
Geography Sebastián de Belalcázar and his troops conquered this
territory, that was populated by Native Pijaos, whounder
It is located on a plain by the river that bears its name, on the command of cacique Calarcá were submitted by the
the western slope of the Cordillera Central. Europeans.
Its coordinates are between 1° 13’ to 2° West longi- An important figure in the era of conquest is Maria
tude and 4° to 5° North latitude, at an altitude of 987 m Luisa de la Espada, who was born in Canton Buga. Daugh-
over sea level and its average temperature is 24 °C. ter of a Spaniard, she inherited the family’s trust, writing
Its topography comprises two areas: The first one is a story and legend of charm that attracts thousands of
the mountainous western side of Cordillera Central; its tourists to walk the roads that climb to the district of
highest peaks are Paramo de las Hermosas (3,500 meters Tenerife to visit the many houses on the road and the ru-
high), the Cerro Pan de Azúcar and El Alto de la Cruz. The ins of her castle.
second area is flat or slightly wavy and belongs to the val- In the region of Guazábara -where the Amerindians
ley of the Cauca River. The territory corresponds to the worshiped the tree "Totujandi"- Captain Gregorio de
thermal floors warm, half cold and wilderness. The hy- Astigarreta built the hacienda San Jerónimo de los Inge-
drography of the municipality is composed by the rivers nios, that was placed in jurisdiction of Guacari county,
Amaime, Cauca, Cerrito and Sabaletas, along with several and where the village originally settled in 1797. The Ca-
creeks and smaller streams, and the lagoon Three Ameri- bildo of Cali created Pantanillo county with jurisdiction
cas. between the rivers Las Guabas and Nima, and in 1821 it
was transferred to the Canton of Buga, then it was final-
Boundaries ly moved to the land that was donated by ladies Petrona
This municipality is bordered by Guacari and Ginebra to and Sebastiana Cárdenas.
the North, by Chaparral in the Department of Tolima on The first Mass was offered by Father Manuel José
the East, Palmira to the south and by Vijes to the West. Guzmán on August 30, 1825 and the place was named San
Jerónimo. By Ordinance No. 21 of October 14, 1854 of the
Precinct and Districts Legislature of Cauca, declared the creation of a district
named Guzmán, as homage to the forementioned priest.
Their townships are: Santa Elena, El Placer, San Antonio,
The Ordinance of August 30, 1864 upgraded the district to
Santa Luisa, El Pomo, El Castillo, El Moral, El Carrizal, Au-
a municipal district under the name of El Cerrito.
jí, Los Andes and Tenerife.
The municipal seat is divided into neighborhoods San
Rafael, Santa Bárbara, Chapinero, Buenos Aires, Eduardo Economy
Cabal Molina, La Estrella, El Rosario, Sagrado Corazón, Ál-
Its main economic activities are cattle breeding (especial-
varo Navia Prado, El Cincuentenario, La Esperanza, Sajo-
ly the processing of leather) and agriculture (grapes, sug-
nia, Pueblito Valluno, Coincer, Villa del Carmen, Los Sa-
ar cane, corn, soybeans, rice, millet, beans, peppers and
manes, Villa Cariño, Villa La Paz, Brisas de la Merced (El
tropical flowers like orchids).
Teatrino), Nuevo Amanecer and El Porvenir.
El Cerrito is also the main producer of ’Panderitos’
baked goods produced with the flour of the cassava root.
A brief history Special mention also deserve the furniture manufac-
turing -especially in wood-, fruit crops and the promo-
tion of tourism in hotels and restaurants in the mainly
rural area. The cliffs of the area attract many tourists
keen on extreme sports and tourism of exploration.
Events
• Onion Festival in the village of Tenerife during
August.
• Peasant’s Festivities in the village of Auji, with the
traditional child reign (July).
• Holy Week (traditional).
• Anniversary fairs.
• Grape’s Festival in the village of Santa Elena.
Statue of Sebastián de Belalcázar in Cali. • Blacks and Whites’ Day in the village of El Placer.
• Kite contests during July and August.
• Celebrations in Honor of the Our Lady of
Chiquinquirá.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca
Infrastructure and Transport
Roads
A road system connects El Cerrito with neighboring
towns: Buga, Rozo (Palmira) and Costa Rica (Ginebra). It
also has internal roads connecting with Ginebra.
Religion
Catholic parishes in the Roman Catholic
Church
Procession of Holy Friday in El Cerrito The three parishes of El Cerrito belong to the diocese of
Palmira: the parish of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, estab-
• Isaacsian Culture Festival Held by the Universitas lished by the founding of El Cerrito, the parish of Perpet-
Foundation Cultural Center (Casa de la Cultura). ual Help, founded July 16, 1990, and the Lord of Mercy
Parish, established November 8, 2000.
Attractions for Tourism Other jurisdictions
It belongs also to the Judicial District of Cali, the Circle of
Registry and Notary in Buga, and the electoral district of
Valle del Cauca; it also holds a Notary Circle.
Tourism
Parque Francisco Antonio Rada
Many colonial country properties (haciendas in Spanish)
have great historical value, such as: El Albión, Trejitos, La
Merced, La María, La Cruz, El Paraíso, Piedechinche, La
Concepción, Novillero, La Argelia, La Aurora, San Miguel,
Trapiche de San Fernando, El Hatico, Milán, El Trejo, Villa
Mercedes and San Joaquín.
• Casa Cural. Hacienda el Paraiso
• Education Center "Pedro Antonio Molina".
• Education See "María Inmaculada". • (16 km from the municipal seat, on the road to Santa
• "El Trincho" bridge. Elena, El Pomo and El Castillo, in the Cordillera
• Outdoors Theatre «Marina Arango». Central). This is the place described in the novel
• Hotel Club "El Paraíso". María, by Jorge Isaacs (1867) and has become the
• Ancient House of the Colegio "Jorge Isaacs". most important tourist destination. From its name
• Universitas Cultural Center comes the name "Territorio Paraiso", used to refer to
• Railroad station and plazoleta (small square) Santa the tourist area between Guacara, Ginebra, El Cerrito
Bárbara. and Palmira. It is located in the ski area called "Paseo
• Municipal Football stadium «Alfredo Vásquez Cobo» de la olla" where you can also practice extreme
• Park "Francisco Antonio Rada" sports like paragliding, mountain biking, horse
• Former hospital’s gate and cemetery. riding and canoeing.
• Gallery. • . It is one of the most famous and beautiful festivals
and is considered as the "agricultural exemption of
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca
Valle del Cauca". You can admire palm wax as high
as 70 meters.
• , which is part of the Hacienda Piedechinche in the
Piedechinche,
town center. The House of Piedechinche hacienda,
built in the eighteenth century, is a typical
demonstration of vallecaucana colonial architecture.
The furniture and furnishings of the nineteenth
century and the beginning of the twentieth century,
acquired from different collections in the country,
are characteristic of an ancient house. This area of
the department of Valle del Cauca was the cradle of
the first sugar mills that gave rise to industry.
• . It is a rural community celebration, made in the
district of Auji as part of celebrations for the Our
Lady of Carmen. It displays a great cultural and
festive variety, and it spreads the community’s
values in events like the "Reinado infantil
campesino" (child’s peasant kingship).
Project Territorio Paraíso
It is a Government’s project that includes the expansion
of roads, legal and economic incentives for the develop-
ment of tourism in the municipalities of Guacara, Gine-
bra, El Cerrito and Palmira.
Gastronomy
Among the dishes we can find the arroz atollado (rice
dish), the sancocho (soup), the pandebono (sandwiches)
and empanada.
Among the desserts we may find the sponge cake, the José María Cabal
blancmange and the amargo.
There are many varieties of fruit: grapes (and all its movements, she vowed to Colonel Joaquín Riascos
derivatives), chontaduro (fruit of the palm Bactris gasi- that she would give his life if necessary for freedom.
paes), mangoes, bananas, oranges, papayas, medlar and When the Royalist troops led by Simón Muñoz came
caimos (Pouteria caimito). to the hacienda, María Antonia went with a group of
soldiers armed with a drum and a battle trumpet ,
shouting: "Long live the Motherland," "Long live the
People from El Cerrito victorious Army of Boyacá!" "Long live the Free
Cauca." Muñoz -who thought it was the whole
Independence Period Republican Army- then withdrew to Bermúdez Tulu.
• (general during the War of Independence of Nueva Thanks to this heroic act, Simón Bolívar himself
Granada) born in the hacienda de la Concepción del visited her in her hacienda in San Agustín.
Alisal,El Cerrito on 25 May 1769 (when it belonged to • The History also mentions the names of José Julián
the canton of Buga, which is why he is honored to Arango Ruiz and José Toribio Arango Ruiz.
Buga). He participated with Antonio Nariño in the
enactment of Human Rights, and for this case he was Twentieth century
confined to Europe. He fought against Juan Samano • : Catholic priest of the town.
in Cauca, defending the city of Popayán, won the • : Catholic priest of the town.
battle of Río Palo, in the municipality of Caloto, • (July 2, 1945 - May 22, 2007), son of Alfredo Nieto G.
Cauca. Later he returned to his hacienda, where he and Rosa E. Navia Varón, he completed his studies in
was captured and transferred to Popayán; there he El Cerrito, Valle Central Gymnasium (Buga), and in
was shot on the main square, 19 August 1816. the Santiago de Cali University (Cali). He obtained
• , the "black heroine", grown on the hacienda of San his Law degree in 1970, and he practiced as a judge in
Agustín; after the beginning of the independence Buenaventura. Being a founding member of
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca
Universitas Cultural Center (May 22, 1966), he • Así es Colombia - Los Municipios - El Espectador
remained active until his death. He was ordained a • Procerato Caucano, Gobernación del Valle 1964 78
priest on November 27, 1982 and served as parish -80 y 105 -107
priest of Santa Elena (the district of El Cerrito), • El Cerrito, Ciudad Cariño Ayer y Hoy “La tierra del
Candelaria, the parish of San Cayetano and the Paraíso” Carlos Franco Vallejo
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary of Palmar in • Boletín de la Academia de Historia del Valle del
Palmira. Devout of the Lord of Divine Mercy, Cauca, Dic 1967 pág
promoted this devotion to implement the children’s • "María". Jorge Isaacs Ferrer
procession during Holy Week in Palmira and created • New Granada. Twenty Months in the Andes, Capítulo
some groups of apostolate and secular work. He XX a Buga y Palmira, publicado en 1857, Mister Isaac
made his humanitarian work mainly in Tumaco, F. Holton
Nariño. • Guía de Rutas por Colombia, Puntos Suspensivos
• , soccer player. editores. 2007
Coordinates: 3°40′N 76°10′W / 3.667°N 76.167°W / 3.667;
Bibliography -76.167
• Mi Valle del Cauca – El Tiempo
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Categories:
• Populated places in the Valle del Cauca Department
• Municipalities of Valle del Cauca
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