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The history of the city dates back to pre-Columbian times, in which the area that today comprises the city was inhabited by the Quimbaya and Pijao tribes, widely recognized for their goldsmithing. In this region, Marshal Jorge Robledo founded the city of Cartago on August 9, 1540, but the siege of the Pijaos or reasons of economic convenience, produced the transfer of said city to the site it currently occupies in the north of the Valley of the Cauca, in 1691, towards the banks of the La Vieja river. Then the region became jungle again and buried the remaining vestiges of civilization.

Some time later, with the ideal of reviving this lost city, on August 24, 1863, the priest Remigio Antonio Cañarte and Jesús María Ormaza, among others, returned to the ruins of ancient Cartago, where they established a few huts that were blessed on August 30 following.

For 6 years it was called Cartago Viejo, but in 1869 the municipality of Cartago gave it the name of Villa de Pereira, in honor of Dr. Francisco Pereira Martínez, who in 1816 took refuge in the area, along with his brother Manuel Pereira, after the defeat of the patriotic hosts of Simón Bolívar in the battle of Cachirí and later manifested the desire for a city to be established on said properties, a fact that was fulfilled six days after his death.

In the 50s, at the time of ´´La violence´´ partisan politics in the country, Pereira became a place of refuge for thousands of Colombians, quadrupling its population and creating a national melting pot that forever changed its community, condensing the vocation of plural city that it would have from now on.

In recent years, the city has achieved an urban identity and a significant growth in its cultural level; social integration and a higher and more general level of education are allowing the city a sustained growth, not only economic, but also cultural.





Pereira is a city in Colombia, capital of the department of Risaralda and the capital of the Eje Cafetero, located in it. The city of culture and ancestry paisas, has a population of 500,000 inhabitants, and in its metropolitan area with 650,000. It is located in the central-western region of the country, in the Otún River valley in the Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. This city is also known as ´´la querendona, night owl and brunette´´ and ´´La perla del Otún´´. It is also known as the city without doors, the capital of joy, the closest city to Colombia and referring to the redevelopment of some areas of the city, and the fall of violence in the first months of 2010 as the city of victory. .

The municipal area is 702 km²; It limits to the north with the municipalities of La Virginia, Marsella and Dosquebradas, to the east with Santa Rosa de Cabal and the department of Tolima, to the south with the departments of Quindío and Valle del Cauca, to the west with the municipality of Balboa and the department of Cauca's Valley. Pereira is the first urban center of the coffee region

Most of the municipal territory corresponds to the steep relief of the Central Mountain Range. Among the orographic accidents, the snowy mountains of Quindío, Ruiz and Santa Isabel stand out, located on the border with the departments of Quindío, Caldas and Tolima respectively. It also has other accidents such as Santa Bárbara, also known as Alto del Nudo. The municipality's hydrographic system includes the Cauca, Barbas, La Vieja, Otún and Consota rivers, with their numerous tributaries. Due to its broken relief, it enjoys a variety of climates, presenting the following thermal levels: warm, 60 km²; medium, 367 km²; cold, 70 km² and páramo, with 107 km².

The municipality of Pereira has a diversified economy in its economic structure, the primary sector represents 5.7% of the domestic product, the secondary sector shows a relative weight of 26.2% in the municipality and the tertiary sector is the most representative with a magnitude of 68.1%. Pereira's GDP grew 3.7% in 2004, without a doubt this year was successful where several events reactivated the economy, such as the national government's flagship program -democratic security-, greater fluidity of the financial system, remittances sent from compatriots residents abroad who have a significant impact on consumption, the above accompanied by better prices for oil, coal, nickel, even coffee. These events were reflected in the increase in both the supply and demand for goods and services.

Municipal agriculture is diversified, it has around 35 types of crops, of which 70% correspond to permanent crops, 8% are annual crops and 22% correspond to transitory crops, but in turn the added value is concentrated in the cafe. Livestock activities are gaining importance. The manufacturing industry stands out in that the clothing activities, very important companies such as INCOCO, Kosta Azul, Gino Pascalli, Arturo Calle, as demonstrated by others such as D´Moda, Calzados NIVI and Boomerang; companies with a national presence such as Frisby, Audipharma, Busscar, Suzuki, AYCO Motos, or others born in Pereira such as Cable Unión and Publik.

The city has important logistics centers such as the International Logistics Service, the new mega logistics center located in Dosquebradas, the TCC headquarters and the most recent one in DEPRISA.

Companies such as AVESCO with Pimpollo and its processing plant, as well as the poultry farms, NESTLE and the cookie factory, Alpina's logistics center, Kimberly Clark with Colpapel, the Chain Thread Factory (Coats Cadena) Trade is the second job-generating activity , Pereira has been advancing a vertiginous process in its formal commerce, an important part is already in shopping centers (Alcides Arevalo, Novacentro, Pereira Plaza, Bolívar Plaza, Victoria, Unicentro, Alameda Plaza among others) where there is a great variety of products and services which can be seen in the short term as successful.

In turn, multinationals are present such as Carrefour with a Hypermarket, and a smaller store in Unicentro, El Éxito with another Hypermarket, and one more of this firm under construction in the Cuban sector, Megacentro de la Construcción Home Center, Hypermercado Alkosto, Makro hypermarket.

On the hotels side, in recent times, several establishments located in the center of Pereira have been built, which can be interpreted as an expansion of visitors to the city for different reasons, generating added value in different sectors. Pereira has the first Five-star hotel in the Coffee Region, the Abadía Plaza, and the most modern exhibition and convention center in the region, Expofuturo.

The construction goes through a new cycle of expansion, the municipality has executed and executes major works in civil works that have given a new appearance to the city, also the installations and works of aqueduct, gas, and telecommunications networks, in addition to the conservation and new developments of its road network place Pereira as a competitive municipality compared to other regions of the country.

The service sector plays a key role in generating added value, benefiting the population of nearby municipalities, this is due to the location of service companies in their urban area based on their geographical location, on the other hand, the rural area is close to the capital that easily allows the commercial flow of goods and services





In terms of tourism, from the Matecaña Zoo, to the Otún Lagoon, and the Nevado de Santa Isabel, all located within the municipality, they offer scenarios for activities ranging from adventure sports to ecotourism. Pereira is also known as "night city" for its bars and discos.

At the Matecaña Zoo you can see numerous species and travel by train around the park. The planetarium and the Botanical Garden of the Technological University of Pereira, located in the Technological University of Pereira, are sites of cultural and educational interest. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Poverty is a religious architectural heritage of the city and the world. The ´´Lucy Tejada´´ Cultural Center, the Pereira Art Museum, the Jaime Mejia Archaeological Museum and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima are places to visit.

La Granja de Noe, located in the Confamiliar recreational center, is an eco-park, where you can interact with the animals, fauna and flora of the place and with the agricultural life of the region. Right there, there is a spa with swimming pools, slides and green areas. Other sports venues that can be found in the city would be the bowling alley, and the Olympic Village complex that is made up of Olympic Swimming Pools, tennis courts, basketball courts and the velodrome.

The Los Nevados National Natural Park, covers an extensive strip to the east of the department of Risaralda, offers a view of the Nevados del Ruíz, Tolima and Santa Isabel and the Otún lagoon, birthplace of the Otún River that crosses the city of Pereira. The Botanical Garden of Marseille (a municipality located about 45 minutes from the city center) has an ecological path, adorned with flora and fauna of the region.

The reconstruction of the old Gallery sector is the largest social and economic renovation project that has been carried out in the city. Since the beginning of the 80s, people began to talk in Pereira about the need to undertake renovation actions in the area due to the deterioration of this sector. Through the figure of Urban Renovation, the municipality allowed the development of what is today Ciudad Victoria (Pereira) | Ciudad Victoria, which has various public spaces, among which the Plaza de Bolívar stands out, located on streets 19 and 20, Between the Seventh and Eighth races, in front of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Poverty, it is famous for its monument of the Naked Bolívar. The area is the main center of the commercial and financial activities of the city, as well as a meeting place for its inhabitants.

There is also the Lucy Tejada Cultural Center, located in the place occupied by the central Gallery, where the Pereira Institute of Culture, the band of Musicians, the ´´Remigio Antonio Cañarte´´ Station, the Municipal Library, Exhibition Hall are located and the headquarters of the Pereirana Academy of History, music, theater and dance workshops and commercial premises related to the cultural theme. It was inaugurated in 2005 on the occasion of the city's anniversary festivities. To achieve a more direct communication between Ciudad Victoria and the Circunvalar Avenue sector, there is an overpass, a bridge that allows a two-way connection, both pedestrian and cycle route.

The city also has the Library and exhibition center of the Banco de la República and the Museum of Modern Art, the latter with modern exhibition rooms and an auditorium.

Ciudad Victoria has the Egoyá Linear Park between streets 14 and 18, with 0.6 ha of green area. Its name is due to the old stream, now underground, Egoyá that crosses the center of the city. On the other hand, the Plaza Cívica Ciudad Victoria is the place where the main events and festivals of the city take place.

Among the most representative works of the city are: El Bolívar Desnudo: Rodrigo Arenas Betancur. Bolivar plaza. Monument to the Founders: Rodrigo Arenas Betancur. Carrera 13 with calle 12. The Chained Prometheus: Rodrigo Arenas Betancur. Technological University of Pereira. The Christ Without the Cross: Rodrigo Arenas Betancur. Our Lady of Fatima Church. The Rebecca: Leonidas Méndez. Parque La Rebeca Avenida Circunvalar. Railway: Monument to Transport. In front of the Transport Terminal. Jorge Eliécer Gaitán: Alexandra Ariza. Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Park, in front of the San Jorge Hospital. The Obelisk: Hernando Hoyos. Calle 17 with Carrera 6. La Diana de Gavies and the Girl with Amphora: Brought from Paris and donated by Jorge Roa Martínez. General Rafael Uribe Uribe: Franco A. Cano. El Lago Park. The Traveler: Antonio Segui. Avenida 30 de Agosto, roundabout Cuba.

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