The city of Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban center in Colombia, as does its proximity to Bogotá, Cali and Medellín – and to the sea and the biggest airport in the whole area. In 2004 it...
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The city of Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban center in Colombia, as does its proximity to Bogotá, Cali and Medellín – and to the sea and the biggest airport in the whole area. In 2004 it reported a population of 576,329.
The area of Pereira was inhabited, before European colonization, by the fierce Quimbaya tribes. They are famous for their artworks in gold, which are considered among the best productions of pre-Columbian America. The Spanish established their first settlement in the area around the year 1540. The town of Cartago was first founded here by Jorge Robledo and Diego de Mendoza, Spanish conquistadors; it was then moved around 1691 to the place where it is today.
Much later, in 1816, the brothers José Francisco and...
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