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Founded date: December 10, 1794

Name of the founder (s): Presbyter Domingo Belisario Gómez, a native of Pucará in the Municipality of Almaguer Cauca.

On December 10, 1794, when the first Curato del Trapiche began to rule at the initiative of Messrs. Francisco Zúñiga, Bartolomé Daza, Jesús Ambrosio López, Jacinto Zúñiga, Manuel Dorado. Along with this Curate, the Parish of the SANTISIMA TRINIDAD DE BOLIVAR was also born, this religious act being considered as the foundation of Bolívar Cauca. The municipality of Bolívar from its time immemorial occupies a position of preponderance in the history of the Department and the Nation. The Colombian Congress, through Law 37 of December 22, 1791 Decrees: “The city of Bolívar, Department of Cauca, is recognized as the Headquarters of the Liberating Armies in the Southern Campaign”, an event that occurred on May 22, 1822 until June 3 of the same year when the Liberator Simón Bolívar remained in this place until the signing of the Capitulations of the South. This region was the first Colombian town to bear the name of Bolívar, in homage to the Liberator Simón Bolívar, by Ordinance 135 of October 21, 1852. By virtue of such a great event, May 23, 1792 began with great pomp the Sesquicentennial of the founding of Bolívar and by virtue of the aforementioned Law, many works were carried out for the municipality and the neighboring towns, we highlight those of the municipality: The Cosmic Christ of the Church of the Santísima Trinidad de Bolívar, the work of the master Buenaventura Malagón, and the parish priest of that then priest Cayetano Costaín. The reconstruction of the San Luis Gonzaga School, the first educational center of the Marist Brothers at the end of 1887 and beginning of the year 1900. The San José del Morro Development Concentration, pilot in Colombia. The Olympic Village, a work successfully completed in the municipal government of Dr. Hernán Burbano Vásquez, as Mayor.





Physical description:

The Municipality of Bolívar is located in the southern subregion of the Department of Cauca, made up of the municipalities of Patía, Bolívar, Algeria, Almaguer, Mercaderes, Florencia, Balboa and San Sebastián. Our Municipality is located on the western side of the Central Cordillera, South of the Department of Cauca, forming part of the so-called Colombian Massif, 145 km away from the capital of the department, at one a.s.n.m. 1,777 meters, with a population of 44001 inhabitants; a temperature of 19º C and an annual rainfall of 1,688 mm.

Limits of the municipality:

To the North with the Municipalities of Patía and Sucre, to the South with the Municipalities of Santa Rosa and the Department of Nariño with the Municipalities of San Pablo and la Cruz, to the East with the municipalities of Almaguer and San Sebastián and to the West with the Municipalities of Florence and Merchants.

Total extension: 755 Km

Urban area extension: 6.5 Km

Rural area extension: 752 Km

Altitude of the municipal seat (meters above sea level): 1,777

Average temperature: 19ºCº C

Reference distance: 145 Km

Ecology

It has a diversity of native species in flora and fauna, highlighting the presence of capuchin monkeys which have their natural habitat in the so-called Cerro de Lerma. The municipality of Bolívar has warm, medium and cold thermal floors. The warm and medium climate mainly encompass the Patía depression and part of the Central mountain range and the cold, the upper part of the mountain range.

Economy

The main economic line of the municipality is agriculture, highlighting mainly the cultivation of corn, coffee, and sugar cane. Due to the diversity of the warm, medium and cold thermal floors, it also presents a diversity of consumer products typical of the hot zone such as pineapple, papaya, banana, products grown in the Corregimientos de Capellanías, Carbonera, Guachicono. In the cold zone comprised by the Corregimientos of San Juan, Los Milagros, El Carmen, El Morro there are fruit crops and products such as potatoes, derived from milk, tomatoes, lulo, blackberries, vegetables, etc. In the middle zone are located the townships of San Lorenzo, San Miguel, La Cabecera, Los Rastrojos, Lerma, Melchor, it presents crops such as coffee and family subsistence products.

Communication channels

Terrestrial:

Currently the municipality has a road network consisting of national, departmental and municipal highways. The national roads attached to the National Institute of Vías y Caminos Vecinales, have a regular maintenance carried out through micro-enterprises that carry out the tasks of rubbing, cleaning and shaping of gutters, cleaning of sewers, removal of small landslides and patching on a smaller scale. There are no rectification, expansion and improvement projects on these roads except for the La Lupa - Bolívar road. At the moment, pavement works are being carried out from the head of the Guachicono district to the Vereda de La Playa de San Jorge. The roads built by Caminos Vecinales are poorly preserved, as well as the departmental roads, sporadically and through agreements with the municipality, some specific works have been carried out. The provision of the inter-municipal service in the municipality is in charge of the companies Sotracauca, Transtambo and Transtimbio, legally constituted that provide their daily passenger transport services from Popayán to the municipalities of the Colombian massif. The Sotracauca company has four daily shifts on the Popayán - Bolívar route and vice versa; the Transtambo company, on the same route, also has four daily shifts and the transtimbio company has two daily shifts. Sotracauca covers the routes Popayán - Bolívar - El Rosal (San Sebastián) and Popayán - Bolívar - San Lorenzo with a daily shift. Transtambo provides the service on the Popayán - Bolívar - San Pablo (Nariño) and Popayán - Bolívar - Santa Rosa routes in a daily shift, the transtimbio company covers the Popayán-Bolivar route. There are routes: Popayán - Lerma - Melchor - El Tablon (Almaguer) and Popayán - Lerma - Melchor - Almaguer that are covered by the Transtambo company daily. The transport of cargo and passengers from the head to the rural sector and within it is provided in open bus-type vehicles that cover the service on the days that the formal market is held, that is, three times a week, campervans and double cabin vans that They provide the service every day to different sites within the municipality and on Board. Currently there is a local transport company called Cooperativa Multiactiva y de Transporte ´´ COOTRANSBOLIVAR´´ which provides its services daily to all the township capitals of the municipality: San Juan, Los Milagros, El Carmen, El Morro, Carbonera, Guachicono, Rastrojos, Rodeo, San Lorenzo, Lerma and Melchor.





tourism

The Municipality of Bolívar offers several tourist alternatives, among the most recognized are the ecological walks, one of the most attractive is the visit to the Virgin of the Bolívar hill that offers a beautiful view of the entire area; At the same time, there are walks to the Lerma hill where you can see a great diversity of flora and fauna, visits to family recreation sites among many other attractions and beautiful places, come and discover these places of healthy family recreation.

Natural reserves

El Charco del Burro - Village of Guachicono

Important tourist site of great welcome by visitors, for its natural beauty and ecological diversity.

Recreational Sites

Sport Fishing El Limonar

Tourist site of great welcome by the inhabitants of this Municipality, for being a place of family recreation, Sport Fishing, Swimming Pool, Soccer Fields, Billiard Games among other healthy attractions you can find in this beautiful place.

Main festivities

Black and White Carnival

They are very popular, their fame has transcended the departmental borders, the carnivals with their taitapuros or old years, their huge balloons of multiple shapes and exuberant colors, their beautiful comparsas and the beauty of the floats, where the Bolivarian citizenship, without class distinctions makes a waste of culture, friendliness and hospitality.

Feast of Our Lady of Mercy

On the last Sunday of the month of August, the traditional celebration of Our Lady of Mercy or Festival of the Virgen del Cerro as it is known by many, takes place in our Municipality, Eucharisties, Castle, Meals, Orchestras among many other things. performed in honor of our Mother of Mercies, come and become a participant in this traditional Fair.

Fiesta and Novena to the Virgen del Carmen

From July 10 to 19, the traditional Fiesta and Novena to the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of drivers, is celebrated in our Municipality; Eucharists, dawn, fireworks, and many more events await you so that we can celebrate together the graces and blessings of the Virgen del Carmen.

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