Quindío () is a department of Colombia. It's located in the western central of the country, specifically in the Andean region. Its capital is Armenia. It's famous for the quality of the coffee plantations, colorful architecture, benign weather, variety of hotel accommodations and tourist landmarks. This department is located in a strategic area, in the center of the triangle formed by the three main cities of the country: Bogotá, Medellín and Cali. Quindío is the second-smallest Colombian department (0.2% of the national territory) with 12 municipalities. Ethnographically and culturally, it belongs to the Paisa region.
History
Before the Spanish invasion the entire area was inhabited by the peoples of the Quimbaya civilization until the 10th century B.C. At the time of Spanish conquest the area was inhabited by indigenous people of Carib descent known as the Pijao tribes. The native population was gradually reduced due to slavery, armed confrontations, and massacres during the Rubber boom, causing the territory to remain mostly uninhabited over the following centuries. At the present time, only a small population of nearly 2000 Amerindians remains in an indigenous reservation near La Tebaida.
The first settlement to be founded in the area was Salento in 1842. In the 19th century northern peasants from Antioquia set out to settle in the area and their goal was to stay there permanently in a process known as Colonización antioqueña (Antioquian Colonisation). Due to the inaccessibility of the territory and the lack of roads, trade and communications were made through mule caravans (arriería) or by porters such as the silleros.
In 1905, the old Department of Antioquia was partitioned into two, giving rise to the new Department of Caldas, which at the time included the modern department of Risaralda. In 1908 Quindio territory, then in jurisdiction of the Cauca Department, was annexed to Caldas department.
Also, see list of governors of Quindío Department.
Municipalities
In order of population: Armenia, capital city. Named after the Caucasus republic of Armenia. Calarcá. Named after Cacique (Chief) Calarca of the Pijao people. La Tebaida. Named after the Thebaid region of ancient Egypt. Circasia. Named after the Caucasus region of Circassia. Montenegro. Named after the Balkan republic of Montenegro. Quimbaya. Named after the indigenous Quimbaya civilization. Salento. Named after the Salento region in Italy. Córdoba. Named after the Andalusian city of Córdoba, Spain. Pijao. Named after the Amerindian Pijao federation. Génova. Named after the Italian city of Genoa. Buenavista. Named after the Spanish city of Buenavista de Valdavia. Filandia. Named from the Latin words "filia" (daughter) and "Andia" (Andes), thus "daughter of the Andes" (the northernmost municipality of the department).
Geography
Most of its surface is occupied for the western face of the Cordillera Central. Highest mountain: (Nevado del Quindío) high. The lowest area is the valley of La Vieja River, high.
This department consists entirely of mountain landscapes covered in tropical rainforest and Guadua bamboo forests. The ground is enriched with ancient volcanic eruptions, raising its fertility. There are also many rivers and streams, including the Quindío River which rises in the Cocora Valley.
The weather varies widely, having two rainy seasons (April and November) separated by two dry seasons. The annual precipitation is around and comes from the humidity of winds from the Pacific Ocean being cooled as they rise over the Andes. The average temperature is between in the La Vieja river valley and in Salento.
Quindío wax palm tree
With law 61 of 1985, the Colombian Congress adopted the Quindío wax palm tree, Ceroxylon quindiuense, a local endangered species adapted to high altitudes, as the National Tree. As ratified on September 16, 1985, by the then president of Colombia, Belisario Betancur, the law states: "The species commonly known as the Quindío wax palm tree, scientific name Ceroxylon quindiuense, is declared the national tree and symbol of our fatherland. The national government is empowered to buy as much land as needed to create wildlife sanctuaries with the purpose of preserving this national symbol and its natural environment. It is forbidden to cut down the Quindío wax palm tree. The punishment for doing so shall be a fine and a term in jail"."
The Quindío wax palm tree was nearly driven to extinction by the extraction of the resinous substance that it exudes. Furthermore, its leaves were widely used for the celebration of Holy Week processions, especially that of Palm Sunday.