Quimbaya is a town and municipality in the western part of the department of Quindío, Colombia. It is 20 km northwest of the departmental capital

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

. The name of the city derives from the name of the

Precolumbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, t ...

culture that inhabited the area, the

Quimbaya civilization The Quimbaya (/kɪmbaɪa/) were a small indigenous group in present-day Colombia noted for their gold work characterized by technical accuracy and detailed designs. The majority of the gold work is made in '' tumbaga'' alloy, with 30% copper, ...

. Located along the

Colombian coffee growing axis The Colombian coffee region ( es, Eje Cafetero), also known as the Coffee Triangle ( es, Triángulo del Café) is a part of the Paisa region in the rural area of Colombia. It is famous for growing and producing the majority of Colombian coffee ...

, the municipality was made part of the "Coffee Cultural Landscape"

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World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 2011. Quimbaya is bounded to the north and west by the Valle del Cauca Department, with

La Vieja River La Vieja River ( es, Río La Vieja) is a river in the Colombian departments of Quindío, Valle del Cauca and Risaralda. It is a major tributary of the Cauca River. The river is formed by the joining of the Quindío River and the Barragán ...

forming the western limit. To the south, the Roble River forms the limit with the municipalities of

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

and Circasia. The eastern boundary is with the municipality of Filandia. Quimbaya was founded in 1914 by Juan de J. Buitrago, and became a municipality in 1922. In 2005 it had an estimated population of 43,700, of which 31,300 live in the main urban zone. The National Agricultural and livestock Park (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''El Parque Natural De La Cultura Agropecuaria''), PANACA, is located 7 km west of the main township. The 47-hectare park contains a variety of interactive exhibits, including more than 200 species of animals. Along with the National Coffee Park in Montenegro, the theme park is one of major tourist attractions of the department. The most important cultural event is the Candles and Lanterns Festival (full name in Spanish: ''Fiesta Nacional del Concurso de Alumbrados con Velas y Faroles''), which began in 1982 and is held each year on 7 and 8 December ( Día de las Velitas). Each of the barrios in the township compete to produce the most spectacular lighting arrangements, and many visitors come from throughout Colombia to admire the displays. The festival is held in honor of the Catholic holy day, the Feast of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

, on 8 December.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quimbaya, Quindio Municipalities of Quindío Department