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Coffee Cultural Landscape

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.

Colombia (Latin America and the Caribbean)
Date of Submission: 25/04/2001
Category: Mixed
Submitted by: Delegacion Permanente de Colombia ante la UNESCO
Coordinates: Departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindio and Valley of the Cauca
Ref.: 1536

Description

The coffee regions of Colombia are located in the dérivations of the brunches Westemer, Central and Oriental, of the mountain range of the Andes which crosses the country from the south to the north. Most of these regions are in temperate areas, where the température oscillates between the 17' C and the 25' C centigrade degrees, to a height on the sea level between 1200 and 1700 meters. Sixteen of the twenty-three departinents of the country, gather the ideals climatological conditions for the cultivation of the coffee, being historically the most représentative departinents: Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindfo and Valley of the Cauca. In these regions have left constituting along the XIX and XX centuries, a particular sub region associated to the cultivation of the coffee well-known in economic and geographical terins as "Coffee Axis", of which comes off another sub region in turn with some special natural, urban, architectural and cultural characteristics which we have denominated "Coffee Cultural Landscape." The Colombian Coffee Cultural Landscape occupies a highlighted place in the social, economic and cultural life of the country from the XIX century until today. As region it is distinguished for the cultivation and marketing of the coffee besides representing a collective, consolidated, unified and diverse culture, in accordance with the specific conditions of its historical formation, which it was mainly given to all the long of the XX century. Historically, the urban formation of what today is known as "Coffee Axis" he/she began at the end of the XVIU century, with the displacement of résidents from diverse places of the region of Antioquia toward the south, along the slope of the river Cauca. The well-known total process as the "Colonization Antioquefia", it took something more than one century in being completed. The first foundations were carried out ainong the years 1787 (Sons6n) and 1808 (Abejorral), being these two towns the centres from which left the first seulement current toward the uninhabited lands of the south. The territories to colonize had been populated by diverse indigenous groups before the arrival from the Spaniards to the region at the beginning of the XVI century. These groups organized in forin of "cacicazgos" they were distinguished with the names of Armas, Ansermas, Quinchias, Paucaras, Pozos,Picaras, Carrapas, Irràs and Quimbayas. This last group, the most important of all left as print a highly developed pottery. The Spaniards, in their settler process founded several populations starting from 1530, some of them survived, some others extinguished. Later on, during almost three centuries the region remained uninhabited or, at least, with a scarce population that didn't figure in the registrations of the Crown. A first phase of the colonisation process was developed in the first half of the XIX century and it occupied the oriental slope of the river Cauca, which corresponds to the western side of the Colombian central mountain range. In this phase six important urban centres were founded in the region of Caldas from north to south that is: Aguadas (1814), Pàcora (1824), Salamina (1853), Neira (1849). In a second phase, the colonisation of the oriental slope continued until arriving to the territory of the current department of the Quindfo at the end of the XIX century. The colonisation of the western slope began in Antioquia toward the year of 1830 and it was also prolongea until beginnings of the XX century. Both currents were finally already in the borders of the departinent of the Valley of the Cauca entered the XX century. The cultivation of the coffee, however, didn't make part of the first seulement plantations; it was toward 1850 when it began in the country properties of the region of Antioquia, specifically in the current territory of the population of Fredonia From there the cultivation was extended toward the south, in the same direction of the colonisation, being developed in both slopes of the river Cauca, in lands located between 1000 and 2000 meters high above the sea level. The geographical and climatic conditions were favourable for the development of a strong coffee economy that, at the end of the XIX century, was the most important in the Country.