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In the year 1820 the current Caldas belonged to the municipality of La Estrella and was called Partido de la Miel. In 1840 the founding of the municipality of Caldas began, whose founder was Don Roque Mejía, who, being the owner of the land, decided to found a town, giving gratuitously, the land for plaza and streets in a place between the Medellín River and the La Valeria creek. Some of its first settlers were: Juan Pablo, José María, Pedro María and Agapito Correa; Isidoro, Rafael, Juan Bautista, Alejandro, Abelardo and Salvador Ángel; Silvestre, Agapito and Balvín Vélez. The layout of the streets was entrusted to the brothers Pedro Antonio and Nicanor Restrepo and the new farmhouse carried the name of the ravine that crossed there: La Valeria.

In 1844 that small town depended on La Estrella and was elevated to the category of fraction. On September 15, 1848, the residents of the place submitted a request to the Provincial Chamber of Antioquia, then meeting, requesting the erection of the district. Five days later his wishes were fulfilled because on the 20th of that month the legislative body of the Province issued the ´´Ordenance 1ª. creating a parish district. The first articles say this way: ´´First Article: A parochial district is created in the place called La Valeria in the Canton of Medellín.

Article Two: This district will be called Caldas, and its head will be in the place called La Valeria´´. By the third article limits were set and by the fourth it was arranged that the governor organize the new district. Jorge Gutiérrez de Lara was President of the Provincial Chamber and Pastor Gallo Secretary. It was sanctioned by the governor on September 22 and on October 6 the political head of the Canton of Medellín, Mr. Estanislao Barrientos, appointed José María Restrepo (not Jesús María as seen in some books) as the first mayor.

Once this great step in the creation of the district was achieved, all efforts were directed towards the erection of the parish. In 1849 they asked Governor Gregorio María Urreta for such a promotion. But as there was still no church, they had to wait until one 30 yards long by 15 wide, dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy, was erected. On March 5, 1853, the governor of the Province of Medellín, Mr. José María Facio Lince, issued the expected decree. By the first article he erected the parish; for the second they were given limits, the same as the district; for the third, he assigned to the parish priest an annual income of 400 and for the fourth he ordered that the Central Executive be informed (Official Gazette of Medellín, No. 465 of May 16, 1853). By Resolution of March 29 of the same year, the Secretary of the Government of New Granada, Mr. Patrocinio Cuéllar, gave his approval. This as for the civil part.

In the ecclesiastical part it corresponded to the Vicar Capitular of Antioquia, vacant See, Fr. Lino de Garro, issue the relevant decree. As it was a newly created parish, it was up to the residents to elect their first priest by popular vote, according to the law of March 27, 1851. Pbro. Carlos Mejía, at the time coadjutor in Copacabana, but as he did not accept, a new vote chose Pbro. José Cosme Zuleta who became the first priest of Caldas.





Caldas is a municipality of Colombia, located in the Aburrá Valley of the department of Antioquia. It limits to the north with the municipalities of La Estrella, Sabaneta and Envigado, to the east with the municipality of El Retiro, to the south with the municipalities of Santa Bárbara and Fredonia, and to the west with the municipalities of Amagá and Angelópolis.

Caldas is located to the south of the Aburrá Valley, surrounded by hills and mountains that correspond to the relief of the central mountain range of the Andes, its lands are watered by numerous water currents among which the Aburrá River stands out (known today as Medellín River ), which crosses it from south to north.

The municipality is located 22 km from the capital Medellín and at an altitude of 1,750 meters above sea level, with an average temperature of 19 ° C. It has an area of ​​133.40. km² of which 1.85 km² corresponds to urban areas and 131.55 km² to rural areas.

The Medellín river is the main current of the municipality and its broken waters flow into it, such as: La Miel, which is born in La Romera; La Valeria, which rises at the top of Romeral and the La Clara stream that rises at the top of San Miguel and gives rise to the Medellín River. The main heights are: Altos de Minas (2,650), Marvé and Chamuscado; La Romera (on the border with El Retiro, Envigado and Sabaneta) where the heights of San Miguel, San Antonio, Morro Gil, La Miel and Santa Isabel are located; La Cuchilla Romeral (on the border with Angelópolis), where the heights of Cardal, La Paja, Malpaso, La Lejía, El Raizal and El Roble are located.

The Metropolitan Area of ​​the Aburrá Valley is a political-administrative entity that is located throughout the Aburrá Valley at an average altitude of 1,538 meters above sea level.

The Area is made up of 10 municipalities, and is crossed from south to north by the Medellín River which, originating to the south of it in the municipality of Caldas, and in the north, in the municipality of Barbosa, takes the name of Río Porce.

It was the first Metropolitan Area created in Colombia in 1980, and it is the second Metropolitan Area in population in the country after the Capital District of Bogotá. The total population, which adds the urban and rural population of the ten cities, is 3,312,165 inhabitants.

The main urban area of ​​the Metropolitan Area of ​​the Aburrá Valley is located in the center of the Valley and is made up of the four largest cities by number of inhabitants: Medellín, Bello, Itagüí and Envigado.

Economy

The economy of the municipality was benefited in its beginnings by the trade that came south from Medellín, as it was an obligatory step for travelers. Over time, the tasks diversified, and today the industry occupies a large line in the local economy.

It is worth highlighting the pottery, wood and mechanics industry.

There are also a small number of banana and yucca plantations in the town.

Media

In the Municipality of Caldas, practically all possible telecommunications services are available, from public telephones, through mobile telephone networks, wireless broadband networks, navigation centers or Internet cafes, IP communication, etc.

The main company in this sector is EPM Telecomunicaciones, (under its UNE brand), recently separated from its parent company Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM).

There are three mobile phone operators all with national coverage and with GSM technology, Comcel (from América Móvil) Band: 850Mhz; Movistar (from Telefónica) Band: 850MHz, and Tigo (from ETB, EPM Telecomunicaciones and Millicom International of Luxembourg) Band: 1900MHz NGN.

The municipality has several open signal television channels, the 3 local channels Telemedellín, Canal U and Televida, (which cover the Aburrá Valley), a regional channel Teleantioquia, and the five national channels: the 2 private Caracol and RCN , and the 3 public Channel One, Institutional Signal and Colombia Signal. Subscription television companies offer their own channels, as is the case with Telmex Colombia. On its frequency 95, the channel ´´Canal C´´ of the municipality of Caldas operates.

The town has a wide variety of AM and FM stations, both with local and national coverage, of which most are managed by Caracol Radio or RCN Radio, although there are other independent stations with great tuning, such as Todelar and Super. There is a station located in your jurisdiction, called ´´Galaxia Stereo´´.

Two important newspapers circulate in Caldas and the rest of Antioquia: El Colombiano and El Mundo, both with a long history in the regional sphere. The national newspaper El Tiempo also circulates.

Public transport

Buses. There is a private urban bus system in the town that serves all sectors of the municipality and there are also routes that connect Caldas and Medellín. Additionally, there is the "integrated transportation system" which consists of buses that connect the last Medellín Metro station (Itagüí) with the different areas of the municipality.

Taxis. There are numerous taxi companies that cover the entire metropolitan area, and among them there are some with bilingual services in English. The taxi ordering service by phone is the most common and safe. Some companies provide intercity services. The collective taxi service is also usual; some of these groups can be comfortable and fast, although they are usually subject to full capacity.





Gastronomy

The hosts with arequipe that they sell in Caldas are famous, as well as the dairy products

All kinds of Antioquia cuisine, which you can find in the different areas of Caldas; the most important recreational and gastronomic area in the district is ´´la 49´´ (Carrera 49).

Parties

Downpour Festivities. This is the most recognized party or celebration in the municipality. These parties are celebrated approximately the second week of October, the reason is simple; Caldas has a pseudonym, ´´Broken sky ´´, that is to say, this municipality enjoys abundant rains throughout the year, and it is in October, when after being 3 days without rain (approximately, due to the difficult logistical task, that With the organization of a popular festival, the Caldas mayor's office decided, in 1997, to set a firm date for this festival, which is October 13) celebrates the festival. In it, artificial rain is enjoyed, provided by firefighters and people (from the balconies) to wet all that visitor-inhabitant of caldas.

Traditional Recreational Street Games, in June

Patron Saint Festivities of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, in September.

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