Valle del Cauca Department

Palynological analyses performed by experts have determined that during the Superior Pleistocene some 40,000 – 10,500 years ago, the valleys of El Dorado and Alto Calima had Andean forest and Sub-Andean vegetation. The discovery of projectiles indicated that there were communities of hunter-gatherers at the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene. The extinction of the Pleistocenic megafauna in the beginning of the Holocene forced humans to adapt to their new environment, becoming hunter-gatherers. In the lower basin of the Calima River (Sauzalito River, El Recreo River, and El Pital River), archaeologists found the oldest traces of hunter-gatherers who inhabited the Valley of the Cauca River. According to these, in 5000 BC these societies already had some level of primitive agriculture and cultivated maize. There is little information about the years between 3000 and 1500 BC.

Ilama culture location (1500 BC–0)

Location of the Yotoco culture (0–1200 BC)

Late Period I location (600–1300)

Late Period II location (1400–1600)

In 1500 BC the first agricultural–pottery society appeared, the Ilama culture, extending along the Calima River (in what is nowadays the towns of Restrepo and Darien. Its society had a social structure of Cacicazgos (chiefdoms) that prevailed until the arrival of the Spaniards. The Ilama economy was based on migratory agriculture using maize, yuca, and beans; hunting, fishing, textile confectioning and metallurgy. The Chief or "Cacique" was the head of the settlement and also had "chamanes" (spiritual leaders), warriors, farmers, hunters, pottery men, and goldsmiths. By 100 AD, the Ilamas had developed into the Yotoco Culture, which expanded the region of the Ilamas further into the Cauca River to the Pacific Ocean, and to the south to the region of what is now the city of Cali.

The Yotocos were a highly stratified society, headed by caciques, which managed several settlements. They existed in the region until 1200 AD. The population had increased, forcing them to develop effective agricultural techniques to feed its population which also improved the techniques on pottery and metal works. The agriculture of the Yotocos was more varied than that of the Ilamas and was based on maize, yuca, beans, arracacha, and achiote among others. The Yotoco started declining in the 6th century AD.

This archeological period is called the Late Period and is divided into Late Period I (6th to 13th centuries) and Late Period II (14th to 16th centuries). In Late period I the region of Valle del Cauca was inhabited by the Early Sonso culture, Bolo, Sachamate and La Llanada. During Late Period II the region was inhabited by the Late Sonso Culture, Pichinde, Buga and Quebrada Seca. Their development is attributed to population growth. Almost all the settlers in the area became subject to the rule of one main Cacique.

The first 67 Spanish explorers arrived in the area after founding the village of Popayán, in an expedition from Quito headed by Sebastián de Belalcázar. In the Valle del Cauca the explorers founded the village of Villa de Ampudia, named after one of them, Juan de Ampudia. By orders of Belalcázar the village was then moved to the Riviera of the Cauca River, within the Gorrones indigenous people's territory. In 1536, a Captain Muñoz ordered the city to be moved to the Valley, where the Village of Cali was founded on 25 July of that same year. Another Spanish explorer, Juan de Vadillo, coming from the village of Cartagena de Indias, entered Cali on 23 December 1538 with a second group of explorers, but he returned to Cartagena, leaving many of his men behind including Pedro Cieza de León. A third group of explorers, led by Admiral Jorge Robledo under orders of Lorenzo de Aldana, advanced to the North of the Valle del Cauca and founded the villages of Anserma (now part of Caldas Department; 15 August 1539), Cartago (9 August 1540), and Antioquia (25 November 1541), and under command of Pascual de Andagoya who came from Panama to Cali with a fourth group of explorers.

The Department of Valle del Cauca was created by decree number 340 April 16, 1910 which also created 12 other departments for Colombia. The Valle del Cauca Department was a result of the union of four former departments; Cartago, Buga, and Cali.

• Universidad del Valle (University – Multiple Campuses) : Univalle is one of the largest and most respected universities in Colombia. It is entirely funded by the government.
• Hospital Universitario (University Health Centre)] : The University Health Centre of Valle is a level 4 hospital, located in the heart of Cali.[5] Its E.R and traumatology centres are ranked among the country's busiest and most well trained. In Colombia, hospitals rank between level 1 and 4. 1 being the one's with the most basic services, and 4 those with full services and facilities.
• Acuavalle (Department's water management and rural water supply Agency)
• Bellas Artes (Fine Arts School) : Until the 80's it was Colombia's most admired Arts School. Due to funding reductions and other problems, its influence gradually disappeared.
• Beneficiencia del Valle (Department's Lottery) : Currently, the biggest prize awarded is $1,200,000,000 COP (about US$500,000). In the Colombian system, regional lottery agencies run their own programs and prizes. Departments' budgets are largely funded by lottery agencies transfers.
• Infivalle (Department's financial agency)
• Indervalle (Department's sports Institution)
• Industria de Licores (Department's Liquor Company) : Aguardiente Blanco del Valle is the main product made by the company.
• Telepacifico (Regional TV channel)
• Incolballet (School of Ballet of Colombia)
• Bibliovalle (Libraries Network) : The department runs a network of libraries in municipalities with no resources to run their own. The Central Department's library is located in Cali into the Rodrigo Lloreda Caicedo Science Center.

The capital of the department is Santiago de Cali, with approximately 2,800,000 inhabitants, was founded by Sebastián de Belalcázar in 1536. It is made up of 42 municipalities, the most populous being, from north to south, Cartago (Famous for its craftsmanship, its embroidery and for the "Casa del Virrey", House of the Viceroy), Roldanillo (Venue of the museum on the artist Omar Rayo), Tuluá (Located in the middle of the department), Yumbo (Industrial capital of the department venue for more than 2000 Industries of various types), Ginebra, Palmira, Buga and Jamundí.

Population of towns over 100,000 inhabitants (Not metropolitan areas):[3]

The Valle del Cauca was historically a place dedicated to cattle and agricultural activities. For this reason, the region does not develop an artistic and European influenced architectural style, as the relative near city of Popayán, located in the department of Cauca, instead, the department generates simple and pragmatic constructions with a few exceptions. The material of the colonial constructions was basically of wood and bricks, with some use of stones.