Popayán
Popayán on the map of Colombia
Popayán is the capital of the Colombian Departamento de Cauca. The city has 219 532 inhabitants (2005) and is located in Pubenza Valley (Spanish: Valle de Pubenza ), which is located in southwestern Colombia between the Western and the Central Range. Due to its location in 1,738 m altitude in the vicinity of the equator, the climate throughout the year stable at a daily average temperatures around 19 ° C. Since many public and private buildings are traditionally painted white, Popayán is also called the White City (Spanish: La Ciudad Blanca). University town, home of the Universidad del Cauca.
History
Popayán was founded on January 13, 1537 by Sebastian de Belalcázar, who was from Quito on the way north to find the legendary gold treasure of El Dorado. The name Popayán is derived from the name of the chief Payán, head of the indigenous people who inhabited the region before the arrival of the Spaniards.
Among the cities of Popayán Colombia is one in which most of the later President of Colombia were born.
Popayán in 1983 suffered significant damage by an earthquake.
Universidad del Cauca
Popayán is home to the Universidad del Cauca (founded on April 24, 1827), which developed from the renowned already in the eighteenth century as training center for philosophy, politics and science, " Seminario Mayor de Popayán ". At the Unicauca studied in 2006 21.785 people. Currently, the university has 9 faculties: Fine Arts; agriculture; Health; Economic accounting and administration; humanism; Science and education; Legal, Political and Social Sciences; Civil Engineering; Electronics and telecommunications.
Attractions and Tourism
One of the main attractions Popayan is its colonial architecture. In particular, the old town with its white colonial buildings and street lamps have a special charm.
The Passion of the Holy Week processions, in which figures and still images are taken from the churches of the city are just as important as the carnival celebrations on the 5th and 6th of January. In the latter case, the inhabitants throw in the streets with bags of flour and pitch / shoe polish to celebrate the diversity of skin colors in Popayán and Colombia.
Twinning
- Spain Malaga, Spain
Sons and daughters of the town
- José María Gruesso (1779-1835), poet
- Guillermo León Valencia (1909-1971), Colombian President from 1962 to 1966
- Edgar Negret (1920-2012), sculptor
- Amparo Ángel ( * 19 **), pianist and composer
- Camilo Torres Tenorio (22 November 1766-5. October 1816 ), Colombian President 1814-1816
- Joaquín Mariano Mosquera y Arboleda de (December 14, 1787-1878 ), Colombian President 1830-1831
- José María Ramón Obando del Campo (3 March 1795-7. August 1861 ), Colombian President from 1853 to 1854
- Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda (26 September 1798-7. October 1878 ), Colombian President 1845-1849, 1861-1864, 1866-1867
- José Hilario López (18 February 1798-27. November 1869 ), Colombian President from 1849 to 1853
- Julio Arboleda Pombo (9 June 1817-13. November 1862 ), Colombian President 1861
- Froilán Largacha Hurtado (15 December 1823-5. May 1892 ), Colombian President 1863
- Ezequiel Hurtado Hurtado (14 December 1825-4. September 1890 ), Colombian President 1884
- Julián Trujillo Largacha (28 January 1828-18. July 1883 ), Colombian President from 1878 to 1880
- Diego Euclides de Angulo Lemos (12 November 1841-14. February 1917 ), Colombian President 1908
- Victor Mosquera Chaux (1 October 1919-5. November 1997), Colombian President 1986
- Francisco José de Caldas y Tenorio ( October 1768 - October 1816 ), scientists ( geography, botany, astronomy, natural sciences). According to him, a zentralkolumbianische Province ( Departamento de Caldas, Manizales capital ) was named.