Medellin, Colombia

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• published: 01 Nov 2012
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archaeological evidence has revealed prehistoric human settlement in the Aburrá Valley from 10,500 years ago, first found by hunters and collectors. The Spaniard conquerors of the valley encountered the historic indigenous peoples such as the Aburrá, Yamesí, Pequé, Ebejico, Norisco, and Maní tribes, whose ancestors had lived in the valley since about the fifth century. The valley was named after the Aburrá people. They were farmers who raised maize, beans and cotton, wove and decorated textiles, sold salt, and were goldsmiths. Under Spanish rule, they lost their land and were subject to a feudal system of government. Many were sent to labor in the mines. New Eurasian infectious diseases carried by the Europeans, as well as the hard work and mistreatment, caused epidemics and such high rates of death that the indigenous tribes became extinct in the valley. People related to the Aburrá Valley tribes can be found in other regions of Antioquia State, such as Urabá and the western and southern regions. [edit]Spanish discovery of the valley Marshal Jorge Robledo. In August 1541, Marshal Jorge Robledo was in the place known today as Heliconia when he saw in the distance what he thought was a valley. He sent Jerónimo Luis Tejelo to explore the territory, and during the night of August 23 Tejelo reached the plain of what is now Medellín. The Spaniards gave it the name of Valley of Saint Bartholomew, but this was soon changed for the native name Aburrá, which means the "Painters," due to the textile decorations of the natives.[10] However, the conquerors were not attracted much by the valley at the time, because of the lack of wealth and the hostile attitude of the local inhabitants.[citation needed] In 1574 Gaspar de Rodas asked the Antioquia's Cabildo for four square miles of land to establish herds and a ranch in the valley. The Cabildo granted him three miles (5 km) of land.[10] In 1616 the colonial visitor Francisco de Herrera y Campuzano founded a settlement with 80 Amerindians, naming it "Poblado de San Lorenzo," today "El Poblado Square". In 1646 a colonial law ordered the separation of Amerindians from mestizos and mulattos, so the colonial administration began the construction of a new town in Aná, today Berrio Square, where the church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Aná ("Our Lady of Candelaria of Aná") was built. Three years later, the Spaniards started the construction of the Church of Our Lady of Candelaria, which was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century.[10] [edit]Growth of the town Iglesia Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria (Church of Our Lady of Candelaria) in Parque Berrío (Berrío Square) After 1574, with Gaspar de Rodas settled in the valley, population started to grow. According to the church records of the San Lorenzo Church, six couples married between 1646 and 1650, and 41 between 1671 and 1675.[10] Gold mines were developed northeast of Antioquia, and they needed a food supply from nearby agriculture. The Aburrá Valley was in a strategic position between the gold mines and the first provincial capital of Antioquia, Santa Fe de Antioquia.[10] The provincial capital, Santa Fe, started to lose importance and gradually became poor, as trade and prominent personalities of the region came to the Aburrá Valley, where rich families started to buy land. Soon, the first settlers asked for the creation of a Cabildo (council) in the valley, thus getting a separate government from Santa Fe.[10] The Santa Fe government fought this, but Mariana of Austria signed the edict creating the Cabildo on November 22, 1674. The governor Miguel de Aguinaga proclaimed the royal edict on 2 November1675. The new city was given the title of Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria.[10] {