San Jerónimo 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' ...

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 Western subregion of the

Department of Antioquia 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 ...

. Its main town is 35 kilometers from 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 ...

, the capital of the department of Antioquia. The municipality has an area of 155 square kilometers (60 square miles).

History

The documentation about the history of San Jerónimo is fortunately very abundant, detailed, and reliable, as this is one of the historically most important municipalities in the department of Antioquia. Before 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

conquerors arrived in this region, broadly speaking, and particularly before reaching the neighboring valley of

Ebéjico Ebéjico () is a town and municipality in the West of Antioquia Department, Colombia. The population was 10,338 at the 2018 census. Limits Ebéjico is bounded on the north by the municipality towns of Santa Fe de Antioquia, Sopetrán and St. ...

, it was populated by indigenous tribes of the Ebéjicos and Peques, both part of the Nutabes indigenous people. When the Spaniards arrived, they gave several names to the place, the first being San Juan del Pie de la Cuesta, which was changed only a year later to San Jerónimo de los Cedros, all this approximately between 1613 and 1616. San Juan del Pie de la Cuesta was actually a vast territory personally owned by the governor of the province, Don Gaspar de Rodas. These properties changed owners several times, being bought and sold for around fifty pesos of the time. As time passed, by 1757, the Antioquia government created by decree the party of San Jerónimo de los Cedros, a date considered official as the founding of the municipality. In 1791, this locality saw the birth of the hero

Atanasio Girardot Manuel Atanasio Girardot Díaz (2 May 1791 – 30 September 1813) was a Neogranadine military officer and one of the heroes of the Colombian War of Independence, Colombian and Venezuelan War of Independence, Venezuelan wars of Independence. H ...

, a hero of Colombia and the

Independence of Venezuela Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

Geography

San Jerónimo is bordered by the following municipalities: * North: Sopetrán * Northeast:

Belmira Belmira is a town and municipality in the northern subregion of the Colombian department of Antioquia. It is approximately 62 km from the city of Medellin. It lies at an altitude of 2,550 m (8,370 ft) above sea level. Climate Belmira has ...

* East: San Pedro de los Milagros * Southeast: Bello * South: Medellín (Palmitas) * Southwest:

* West: Sopetrán

Overview

Currently, San Jerónimo has acquired a new life and very broad opportunities for tourism, real estate business, and various economic sectors have opened up after the inauguration of the Fernando Gómez Martínez Tunnel, an engineering work that has halved the travel time between the capital of the department of Antioquia, Medellín, and this district. This tunnel, at the time of this publication, is among the longest in Colombia and Latin America. This municipality has also been known as "The Land of Cocoa." It is one of the tourist paradises of Antioquia. Its warm climate is one of the factors that attract tourists. Its hotel infrastructure is among the best quality in Antioquia. The municipality is located near Medellín, with an excellent access road and the Western Tunnel as a major attraction. It has road communication with Sopetrán, Ebéjico,

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 Medellín. The main watercourse is the Aurra River, which crosses the urban area.

Political-Administrative Division

Besides its municipal capital, San Jerónimo is composed of the following hamlets: * Alto Colorado, * Berrial, * Buenos Aires Parte Alta, * Buenos Aires Parte Baja, * Cabuyal, * Cenegueta, * El Calvario, * El Cedral, * El Chocho, * El Mestizo, * El Pomar, * El Ruano, * La Ciénaga, * La Palma, * Las Estancias, * Llanos De Aguirre, * Llanos De San Juan, * Loma Hermosa, * Los Alticos, * Los Cedros, * Los Guayabos, * Matasano, * Mestizal, * Montefrio, * Pesquinal, * Pie de Cuesta, * Piedra Negra, * Poleal, * Quebraditas, * Quimbayo, * Tafetanes, * Veliguarin

Demographics

''Historical Population''

Total Population: 15,361 (2018) Urban Population: 6,704 Rural Population: 8,657 Literacy Rate: 86.3% (2005) Urban Zone: 93.8% Rural Zone: 82.9%

Ethnography

According to figures presented by DANE from the 2005 census, the ethnographic composition of the municipality is: * Mestizos & Whites (92.9%) * Afro-Colombians (7.0%) * Indigenous (0.1%)

Economy

* Agriculture: plantains, coffee, various fruits, and vegetables * Traditional livestock for breeding and milk * Tourism

Festivities

* Live Holy Week Celebration * Patron Saint Festivities from September 21 to 30 * Sun and Agro-tourism Festivities on the second weekend of November * Foundation Festivities of San Jerónimo, celebrated for several centuries

Gastronomy

In addition to traditional national and international cuisine, demanded by the intense tourism, San Jerónimo offers, among other dishes, a curious local dish prepared with pig's blood and the pig's small intestine which is filled with rice, called "

Morcilla A blood sausage is a sausage filled with blood that is cooked or dried and mixed with a filler until it is thick enough to solidify when cooled. Most commonly, the blood of pigs, sheep, lamb, cow, chicken, or goose is used. In Europe and the ...

." Rice is cooked in the pig's blood, various seasonings are added, and this mixture is used to fill the small intestine after being cleaned. Additionally, the gastronomic inventory of the population includes a large variety of fruit preparations from the rich region. Traditional Paisa cuisine and barbecues are also offered.

Points of Interest

* Church of Our Lady of Candelaria, which preserves important European-origin paintings and sculptures * Waterfalls in Utuhuena (La Tasita) * Archaeological zone: Located in El Alto del Cedral * Aburrá Waterfall * Colonial Bridge on the road leading to “Poleal,” San Pedro hamlet * La Muñoz stream in La Jungla sector, only one block from the Main Park * Angosturas Narrow * San Jerónimo Grotto * Hacienda (Loma Hermosa hamlet) * Haciendas and recreational parks * Los Tamarindos Park * Main Park

Notable People

, hero of Colombia's independence * Dario Gómez, "The King of Spite," idol of Colombian popular music * Gloria Zapata, theater and television actress * Sergio Lopez, lawyer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Jeronimo, Antioquia Municipalities of Antioquia Department