La Unión is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, located in the Eastern subregion of the department of
Antioquia. It is bordered to the north by the municipalities of
La Ceja and
El Carmen de Viboral, to the east by El Carmen de Viboral, to the south by the municipality of
Abejorral
Abejorral is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. It borders to the north with the municipalities of Montebello, La Ceja and La Unión, to the east with municipality of Sonsón, ...
, and to the west by the municipality of La Ceja. Its capital is 57 kilometers away from
Medellín
Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
, the capital of the department of Antioquia. The municipality covers an area of 198 square kilometers.
History
La Unión emerged as one of the districts in the eastern region of Antioquia as a result of the spontaneous colonization of this central-eastern area of Antioquia. Other districts such as Abejorral, La Ceja, and
Sonsón
Sonsón is a municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Sonsón is located in Eastern Antioquia. It is one of the seats of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sonsón–Rionegro. Sonsón celebrates "Las Fiestas Del Maíz"- ('Festival of ...
emerged in the same way, all during the 18th century.
The year 1778 is considered the official founding year of this locality, as it was then that the founders established the first hamlet on their own lands. Initially, it was baptized as Vallejuelo.
In 1877, the government of Antioquia created the district of La Unión, comprising fractions of land from the localities of La Ceja and El Carmen de Viboral. It would later lose this category but, in 1886, there was a growing opinion among the inhabitants and several influential figures from the surrounding areas, in favor of the district's existence, especially as it was part of the shortest route to the departments of
Tolima and
Cundinamarca.
It was not until 1911, along with other jurisdictions, that the municipality of La Unión was created again.
LaMia flight 2933
The municipality is sadly known for the
air disaster on November 28, 2016, when LaMia flight 2933 crashed in this municipality, resulting in 71 fatalities and 6 injuries. The flight came from
Viru Viru International Airport (
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; ), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department.
Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), Pirai River in the eastern Tropical ...
) and was heading to
José María Córdova International Airport
José María Córdova International Airport is an international airport located in the city of Rionegro, south-east of Medellín, and is the List of the busiest airports in Colombia, second largest airport in Colombia after El Dorado Internatio ...
(
Rionegro
Rionegro () is a city and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, located in the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. The official name of the city is Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro. Rio Negro means "Black River" in Spanish, as the cit ...
). It was carrying the Brazilian football team
Chapecoense, which was on its way to play the first match of the 2016
Copa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
final against
Atlético Nacional
Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the country's history, the other ...
. The accident occurred in La Unión, in the Pantalio area, in the northwest of the municipality; the area consists of hills and hillocks, on one of which (named Cerro Gordo), the tragedy occurred. The crash site would later be named Cerro Chapecoense, in honor of the victims, by municipal agreement.
Climate
La Unión has a relatively cold
subtropical highland climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...
(Cfb). It has heavy rainfall year round.
Geography
The locality is part of the
Altiplano
The Altiplano (Spanish language, Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechuan languages, Quechua and Aymara language, Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla people, Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extens ...
zone and is located in the highest part of the south of the San Nicolás Valley. The municipality has a complex mountain system, allowing it to have several thermal floors: of its total extension of 198 km², 136 km² comprise a cold climate (including the north, east, and south zones of the locality), and the remaining 62 km² (western area -El Guarango-) to a temperate climate. This allows for the cultivation of high Andean crops such as potatoes,
uchuva, and
lulo, to other temperate ones like coffee (to a lesser extent) and plantains. Another important geographic-geological feature is the maximum heights of 3050 m.a.s.l. at Cerro San Miguel (San Miguel Santa Cruz area) and 2737 m.a.s.l. at Morro Peñas (a prominence of the Antioquian batholith) located in the Vallejuelito-Peñas area (which is visible from much of the territory). The northern area is situated on a sedimentary plateau, rich in
kaolin
Kaolinite ( ; also called kaolin) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina (). ...
deposits; in contrast, the south is characterized by its rugged topography with volcanic soils, marking the beginning of the Sonsón Páramo system.
Regarding hydrography, the municipality is irrigated by numerous waterfalls and streams that are part of the Buey river basin, with its main tributaries, the Piedras river (crossing the locality from north to south, eastward forming a canyon, and born in the vicinity of the urban area), and the San Miguel river (originating near Mesopotamia); the Buey river, in turn, is a tributary of the Arma river, which finally flows into the Cauca river from its eastern slope.
It is connected by paved road to the city of Medellín and the municipality of La Ceja, through the Chuscalito area, thus being 57 km away from the departmental capital (approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes by car). It is also connected by paved road to the municipality of Sonsón, and through it to Argelia and
Nariño. It has unpaved roads to El Carmen de Viboral and Abejorral. With Mesopotamia, it is connected by two roads, one paved (road to Sonsón) and the other unpaved (Chalarca road).
Economy
The economy of La Unión has traditionally revolved around potato cultivation and dairy farming. Currently, it has a production level of 360 tons of
tuber
Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...
per week and an area planted of approximately 14 square kilometers.
Main economic sectors:
* Agriculture: potatoes, corn, beans, vegetables,
floriculture
Floriculture (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found ...
, strawberries, uchuva, Andean blackberry, avocado
* Livestock: dairy and meat
* Mining (non-metallic):
talc
Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula . Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent and lubricant ...
, kaolin, and clay
* Fish farming
* Dairy products
Notable people
Among the most recognized personalities of the municipality is Felix María Restrepo Londoño (known as "El Tuso"), a thinker and philosopher who embodied the liberal and intellectual thought of the 20th century within this territory. During his youth (during his formative stay in
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
), he was in contact with important liberal leaders such as
Rafael Uribe Uribe, who greatly influenced his thinking and leadership within the locality. Since 2003, what was once the Francisco de Paula Santander boys' school became, along with the Marie Poussepin girls' school, the current Félix María Restrepo Londoño Educational Institution, named in honor of this character.
The political life of the municipality has revolved around liberalism and the figure of Rafael Uribe Uribe, who, despite not being native to the locality, during his command of the liberal armies in the
Thousand Days' War
The Thousand Days' War () was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Colombian Liberal Party, Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party (Colombia), National Party, and lat ...
, had in his ranks the participation of inhabitants of La Unión; such is the importance of this leader (in shaping the liberal identity of La Unión), that a bronze bust was erected in his honor in the main park.
Demography
Total Population: 21,475 inhabitants (2018)
* Urban Population: 12,724
* Rural Population: 8,751
* Literacy: 91.2% (2005)
** Urban area: 93.6%
** Rural area: 88.4%
Ethnography
According to figures presented by DANE from the 2005 census, the ethnic composition of the municipality is:
* Mestizos and Caucasians (99.6%)
* Afro-descendants (0.4%)
Festivities
* Popular and Folkloric Potato Festivals (last weekend of June, every year)
* Patron Saint Festivities of Our Lady of Mercedes (in September)
Places of interest
* Church in the main park, Our Lady of Mercedes.
* Church in the Mesopotamia district (30 minutes from the municipal head).
* The chapel in the main park (the first Catholic temple in the locality).
* "Los fundadores" consistorial house (colonial architecture from the early 20th century -rebuilt-; main park).
* Tablas Bridge (Las Brisas area).
* Iron Bridge (El Cardal area).
* Piedras River (Piedras Teherán and San Francisco areas)
* Monument and Cave of "El Tuso" (El Guarango area).
* Presidio Waterfall (El Guarango area), canyoning.
* Natural baths (El Cardal and El Buey areas).
* Morro Peñas (Vallejuelito-Peñas area); rappelling and hiking can be practiced here.
* Dairy farms (Mesopotamia district, eastern and southern areas of the municipality).
* Cerro Gordo or Cerro Chapecoense (Pantalio area).
General information
* Foundation: July 1, 1778
* Municipality erection, ordinance 18 of 1911
* Founders: José María Londoño and Vicente Toro
* Nicknames: Potato Emporium
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Union, Antioquia
Municipalities of Antioquia Department