Sopetrán is a municipality of
Colombia, located in the subregion west of the state of
Antioquia. It is bounded to the north by the municipality of
Olaya, to the east by the municipality of Belmira, to the south by the municipalities of
San Jerónimo and
Ebéjico
Ebéjico () is a town and municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The ...
, and to the west by the municipality of
Santa Fe de Antioquia
Santa Fe de Antioquia is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The city is located approximately north of Medellín, the department capital. It has a population of approximately 23,000 inhabitants.
History
Founded in 1541 by ...
. It is 59 kilometers from the city of
Medellin, the state capital of Antioquia. The municipality of Sopetrán has an area of 223 square kilometers.
, Sopetrán was one of three municipalities along the
Route of the Sun in western Antioquia, along with the municipalities of San Jerónimo and Santa Fe de Antioquia, with which Sopetrán shares much of its history. Since the opening of the West Fernando Gomez Martinez Tunnel in 2006, tourism in the region has tripled. The area is particularly suitable for
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...
.
History
Originally, the indigenous communities of the
Nutabes and
Tahamíes inhabited the municipality of Sopetrán. Before the arrival of the
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 ...
, the region was called . On February 22, 1616, the municipality of Sopetrán was officially established by Francisco Herrera and Campuzano, a native of
Alcala de Henares in Spain. Herrera worshipped Our Lady of Sopetrán, and he is believed to have named the town after her.
Formerly, the town has been known by the names of , Vice Parish of Our Lady of Saladito of Cordoba, and Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption and Sopetrán.
The origin of the name was the lands that had been settled by the indigenous or Guacas many centuries prior, who engaged in agriculture, hunting, fishing, and salt mining. The latter caught the Spaniards' attention, who had been transporting salt from the sea for domestic use and to feed the newly imported cattle.
In 1814, Sopetrán achieved the status of a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
.
Climate
The town is located 716 meters above sea level. The town's climate is defined as tropical. During the summer, there is considerable rainfall, but the winter has comparatively little rainfall. The average temperature is around 24.9 °C (76.8 °F), and the average annual rainfall is 1360 mm (53.5 inches).
References
Municipalities of Antioquia Department
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