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Antioquia Department

Antioquia is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some important valleys, much of which is part of the Andes mountain range. Antioquia has been part of many territorial divisions of former countries created over the present day territory of Colombia, and prior to the Colombian Constitution of 1886, Antioquia and the other states were sovereign governments in their own right.

The department covers an area of 63,612 km² (24,427 sq mi), and has an estimated population of 5,819,358 (2006 estimate). Antioquia borders with the Cordoba Department and the Caribbean Sea to the north, Chocó to the west, to the east it borders the departments of Bolivar, Santander and Boyaca, and to the south the departments of Caldas and Risaralda.

Antioquia is one of the most touristic departments in Colombia, and continues to increase the number of hotels and visitors from all over the world.

Medellín is Antioquia's capital city, and the second largest city in the country. Other important towns are Santa Fe de Antioquia, the old capital located on the Cauca, and Puerto Berrío on the Magdalena.

History

The aboriginal peoples of Antioquia

Before Spanish colonization (a time referred to as the prehispanic era), two large tribes, the Caribs and the Muiscas, inhabited this part of modern day Colombia. There is still much uncertainty regarding the origin of these tribes–historical evidence suggests that both groups migrated from Brazil.

Antioquia was primarily populated by Caribs, although some scattered groups of Muiscas were present in the Darién region (in modern day Panama), a coastal region in the far north of Antioquia. However, there are no historical records for these groups of Muiscas in Antioquia.

The Caribs present in Antioquia were further classified into smaller groups, called families. Some of the most prominent indigenous families in the region include the Catías, Nutabes and Tahamíes, which all inhabited the central region of Antioquia.

An important group that inhabited southern Antioquia was the Quimbaya, whose presence is substantiated by historical records.

There were other groups, but the Quimbaya, Carib and Muisca tribes were the most prominent conglomerates that were found by the conquistadors upon their arrival in Antioquia. The Quimbayas had little to do with the evolution of the department, because Jorge Robledo, the main conquistador of Antioquia, quickly subjected the few Quimbaya that he found, and the rest disappeared quickly.

The history was centered then in the turbulent relationships of the Spaniards with the Caribs. Despite the number of Caribs and their well-known warring culture, they would end up dominated or exterminated by the Iberians in the process of conquest and colonization.

During these processes bloody confrontations were presented that caused the surviving natives to disperse, and even commit suicide, before they were subjected. Many of the survivors fled to the department of Chocó. Thus, in Antioquia, the natives disappeared almost completely. At present, the indigenous population of the department of Antioquia scarcely reaches 0.5% of the total population.

The Spaniards in Antioquia

The first Spaniard that came to Antioquia was Rodrigo de Bastidas who was in Darién in the year 1500. Ten years later, Alonso de Ojeda founded San Sebastián de Urabá, 2 km from the present-day town of Necoclí, which would be destroyed later by the natives. However, the first Spanish incursion in Antioquia only took place in 1537, when an expedition commanded by Francisco César traveled the lands of Indian chief Dabeiba, arriving at the Cauca River and taking an important treasure from the indigenous tombs. However, men of chief Nutibara harassed the Spaniards, forcing them to return to Urabá.

In 1541, Marshal Jorge Robledo left the now-gone Spanish establishment of Arma, a little below Aguadas in the south of Antioquia, for an expedition toward the north on the Cauca River.

Farther north, in 1541, Robledo would found Santa Fe de Antioquia. In 1813, Santa Fe de Antioquia was declared the capital of the County of Antioquia, and this lasted until 1826 when Medellin was made the capital.

Toponymy

The origin of the name "Antioquia" is not very clear. Some maintain that it is an indigenous word that means "mountain of gold". Others say that it comes from the ancient city of Antiochia that in turn comes from the Greek "antioko" which means "pusher".

History of Antioquia from the 16th to the 21st centuries

Due to its geographical isolation (as it is located among mountains), Antioquia suffered supply problems. Its topography did not allow for much agriculture, so Antioquia became dependent upon trade, especially of gold and gin for the colonization of new land, although much of this trade was due to reformations passed after a visit from an inspector of the Spanish crown, Juan Antonio Mon y Velarde in 1785. The Antioquia became colonizers and traders, contributing to the Antioquian culture.

Administrative divisions

Regions and Municipalities

Antioquia is divided into 9 subregions

to facilitate the Department's administration. These 9 regions contain a total of 126 municipalities. The 9 subregions with their municipalities are:

Southwestern Antioquia	Eastern Antioquia	Northeastern Antioquia

Northern Antioquia	Western Antioquia	Bajo Cauca Antioquia

Magdalena Medio Antioquia	Urabá Antioquia	Medellín Metropolitan Area

Demography and ethnography

The population of Antioquia is 5,819,358 (2005 estimate), of which more than half live in the metropolitan area of Medellin. The racial composition is:

Mestizos & White (88.66%)
Black or Afro-Colombian (10.83%)
Amerindian or Indigenous (0.51%)
Gypsies (0.00%)

The local inhabitants of Antioquia are known as antioqueños. Of the five main regional groups in Colombia, the predominant group in Antioquia are known as paisa, referring to those living in the Paisa region, which covers most of Antioquia, as well as the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío.

Geography

Antioquia is the 6th largest Department of Colombia. It is predominantly mountainous, crossed by the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes. The Cordillera Central, further divides to form the Aburrá valley, in which the capital Medellín is located. The Cordillera Central forms the plateaus of Santa Rosa de Osos and Rionegro.

Despite 80% of the department's territory being mountainous, Antioquia also has a coast on the Caribbean Sea, in the lowland area of the Urabá. This area has a tropical climate and is of high strategical importance due to its location.