Rionegro () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

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' ...

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 valleys, much of which is part o ...

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 subregion of

Eastern Antioquia Eastern Antioquia () is subregion of the Colombian Departments of Colombia, Department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. The region consists of 23 Municipalities of Colombia, municipalities. Geography The region of Eastern Antioquia limits to t ...

. The official name of the city is Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro. Rio Negro means "Black River" in Spanish, as the city received its name after a river that looks black because of the shadows cast by trees. The river traverses the city and it is the most prominent geographical feature of the municipality. Rionegro is also sometimes called the ''Cuna de la democracia'' (Cradle of democracy) as it was one of the most important cities during the era of the Colombia's struggle for independence and the 1863 constitution was written in the city.

History

The territory was first mentioned in 1541 by the Spanish Lieutenant Álvaro de Mendoza. When the Field Marshal Jorge Robledo took possession of the Valley of Aburrá, he was commissioned by Álvaro de Mendoza. According to Fray Pedro Simón, Robledo was the first Iberian man who discovered the Valley of San Nicolás on 2 September 1541. Don Juan Daza, a Spaniard of illustrious lineage, took possession of the lands sometime later, and on 8 November 1581, in agreement with the rituals of the laws of Indias, nailed his sword in the ground marking it as an inhabited place and began constructing a farm. Immigration to Rionegro came from numerous regions of the country, including from the same provincial capital of the time,

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. The population was 23,216 at the 2018 census. History Founded in 1541 by Jorge Robled ...

and the original ranch grew into a village and then a town in the first half of the 17th century. The chapel,

Concatedral de San Nicolás el Magno The Catedral San Nicolás el Magno is a Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic co-cathedral, located in the municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia. The church, under the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and was elevated ...

, consecrated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

was built as early as 1642, another reason why the territory reached a greater degree of independence for religious reasons. Yet, for most part of the 18th century, Rionegro was isolated by the jungle and mountains, and its chapel being only a humble one made of straw and bahareque. In 1783, Rionegro had enough population to become like a municipality, resulting in becoming the City of Santiago de Arma de Rionegro in 1786, with administrative powers under certification of King Carlos III, issued in the Palace of San Idelfonso on 25 September 1786. After this event, its isolation decreased, resulting in the visit of the bishop of Popayán in 1793. After seeing the bad state and rusticity of the chapel, the bishop ordered it to be demolished and a new one was built, its inauguration taking place in 1803. Rionegro became an important town, and a new distribution of lands was made (resulting in the colonization of the south of the region). Rionegro grew in the 19th century and was an important center during the end of the Spanish rule, and in the early years of Independence. The city then rivaled

to compete for the capital of Antioquia, until the city of

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 ...

grew prominently and far exceeded the growth of these cities.

Geography and climate

The municipality of Rionegro is located in the central mountain range of the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

in eastern Antioquia. With a total area of 196 km², is part of the sub-region of

. The city is surrounded in the north by the municipalities of

Guarne Guarne is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. In 2020, the population was estimated to be 52,129. It is part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. It is situated 24 km east of Medellín. History The first sett ...

and San Vicente, in the east by the municipalities of Marinilla and

El Carmen de Viboral El Carmen de Viboral is a town and Municipalities of Colombia, municipality in the Colombian Departments of Colombia, department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. In 2020, the population was estimated to be 62,581. It is part of the subregion ...

, in the south by the municipality of La Ceja, and in the west by the municipalities of El Retiro and Medellin. The city of Rionegro is located at , at an average elevation of above sea level. The average annual

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

varies between with an average temperature of . Much of the land consists of volcanic ashes and soils with a high resistance to erosion. The altitude of the rest of the territory varies between , and the topography is characterised by a number of small hills, some of which may rise to a greater height and slope like Cerro del Capiro, located in limits with the municipality of La Ceja. A sharper mountainous system emerges towards the West of the municipality, which becomes a physical barrier between the Valley of the Aburrá and the Plateau of Rionegro, from where the main affluents of the

Negro River In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...

are born. The main hills of the mountainous chain that surround the Valley by Rionegro are: Alto Gordo, Alto de Amariles, Alto de Salazar o La Pilastra, Cerro Verde, Alto de Careperro, Alto de Pantanillo, Cerro Corcovado and Cerro del Capiro. Part of the city is an

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...

of the Negro River and its tributaries, which also include the Pantanillo River and the gorges such as Las Palmas and Espíritu Santo y Fizebad. Historically the Negro River divided the valley in two, with the Valley of Llanogrande and the Valley of San Nicholas.

Hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

companies operate in the area, and have constructed a Hydroelectric Power station at Guatapé with the Santa Rita Dam. Today the hydroelectric complex of Eastern Antioquia consists of five power stations, two of which are public companies of

city.

Demographics

According to the figures presented by the

National Administrative Department of Statistics The National Administrative Department of Statistics (), commonly referred to as DANE, is the Colombian Administrative Department responsible for the planning, compilation, analysis and dissemination of the official statistics of Colombia. DANE ...

(DANE) in the 2005 census, the municipality of Rionegro had a total population of 101,046 inhabitants, the sixth largest populated area in Antioquia. The municipality had a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of approximately 466 inhabitants per square kilometer. The ethnicity of the population is almost entirely of

Mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...

and

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

persons (98.9%) with 1.1% Afro Colombian. 48.6% of the population are men and 51.4% women and city had a rate of 5.7% who were

illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

, but most of these were under 5 years of age and not yet eligible or mature enough for an education. Public services in Rionegro are of a relatively high standard with 98.7% of houses supplied with

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

, 95.6% with a

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

and 87.1% with a

telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

connection. In 2020, the population of the city and the municipality was estimated to be 142,995.

Ethnicity

According to DANE statistics 2005, the ethnic composition of this city is: *

Whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

and

Mestizos ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to ...

(98.5%) *

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

(1.1%)

Administration

Rionegro is governed by a democratic system based on the processes of administrative decentralization generated by the proclamation of Political constitution of Colombia in 1991. For the city there is a mayor with executive authority and a Municipal Council with legislative rights. The Mayor of Rionegro is naturally the head of the local government and the municipal administration, representing legal, judicial authority in the municipality. The position of mayor is chosen by popular vote for a period of four years, that at present is a position held by Hernan Ospina with Andres Julian Rendón as elected major for the term 2016–2019. Amongst his main functions are the administration of the resources of the municipality including responsibility of health, housing, education and road infrastructure, to guard the well-being and respond to the interests of his fellow citizens and to represent them before the National Government, besides being impelled to implement local policies to improve quality of life within the municipality. The Municipal council of Rionegro, is also subject to election, composed by 17 politicians of varying political parties, chosen for a period of four years. The council is the associated executive organization of the municipality with obligation to take responsibility for Rionegro's territorial jurisdiction. Amongst its functions are approving the proposals and projects of the mayor, and with financial obligation to draw up the

budget A budget is a calculation plan, usually but not always financial plan, financial, for a defined accounting period, period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including tim ...

and to take responsibility of collecting

rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

s and

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

es. Administratively the Mayorship of Rionegro is divided in two main groups, the chief central administration and the decentralized organizations. These organizations are denominated Secretaries, whose main objective is the benefit of services to the community.

Economy

From many years ago, Rionegro has become the most important trade center in eastern Antioquia, due to its strategic position in the subregion. The city's dramatic growth has situated it as one of the richest cities in Colombia; its economy is mainly based on industries of all kinds, food industries, fabric industries, paper industries, chemical industries, and trade which brings Rionegro's people one of the highest standards of living in the country. Agriculture also plays an important role in the local economy; the main agricultural activities are floriculture and poultry production.

Transport

Rionegro has private shuttles that serve all the city's neighborhoods and bus routes throughout the city which connect it to

and the other surrounding municipalities. Taxis are also well used in the urban area. Located within Rionegro city is

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 ...

, the second most important airport in Colombia, which serves Medellín. Both domestic and international flights arrive and depart from this airport.

Sites of interest

-built in the 1790s and opened in 1804. *Parque principal La Libertad *Museo de Arte Religioso *Calle de la Madera *Tutucán *Parque Los Osos Comfama de Rionegro *Casa de La Convención *Puente Mejía *Palacio de la Cultura Ricardo Rendón *Corregimiento San Antonio de Pereira *Casa de La Maestranza *Parque de San Antonio de Pereira *Iglesia de San Antonio de Pereira *Antiguo Colegio de Rionegro *Iglesia de San Francisco *Iglesia de Jesus Nazareno *Archivo Historico de Rionegro *Estatua Ecuestre del General José María Cordova *Cementerio Principal

Religion

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sonsón–Rionegro The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sonsón–Rionegro () is a diocese located in the cities of Sonsón and Rionegro in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Medellín, Medellín in Colombia. History * 18 March 1957: Established ...

Sports

The city is home to

Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor due to Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a professional association football league in Colombia and the highest level of the Colombian ...

football club

Águilas Doradas Águilas Doradas is a professional Colombian Association football, football team based in Rionegro that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Estadio Alberto Grisales, Alberto Grisales stadium. The club a ...

since March 2015. They play their home games at the

Estadio Alberto Grisales Estadio Alberto Grisales is an association football stadium in Rionegro. It is currently the home stadium of Categoría Primera A club Águilas Doradas. It has a capacity for 14,000 people. See also * List of football stadiums in Colombia Re ...

Education

Universidad Católica de Oriente is in Rionegro, as well as a small branch of the University of Antioquia.

Notable people from Rionegro

* Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, one of the most powerful

drug lords A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise. Crime barons may be difficult to bring to justice: usually, they do not possess illegal goods. Ra ...

of all time, one of the founders of the Medellin Cartel and younger brother of Roberto Escobar. * Roberto Escobar, older brother of

Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...

and former high-ranking member of Medellin Cartel. *

Iván Córdoba Iván Ramiro Córdoba Sepúlveda (, born 11 August 1976) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began his career in Colombia with Deportivo Rionegro and Atlético Nacional, before moving to Argentine club ...

, Colombian former soccer player ( Defender)

References

External links

City of Rionegro
{{Coord, 6, 9, 12.77, N, 75, 22, 27.30, W, type:city_region:CO_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Municipalities of Antioquia Department