Pamplona (Colombia)

Pamplona is a Colombian municipality, located in the department of Norte de Santander. It was the capital of the Province of Pamplona and its economy is based on gastronomy, agriculture, tourism (especially religious tourism) and education. It is known as the 'Mitrada City', because the Archdiocese of Nueva Pamplona was established there, the first Catholic diocese in the northeastern region of the country. The University of Pamplona, a prominent public university in the region, has its main headquarters in the city. Its population is 59,422 inhabitants (2020).

It is located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, at an altitude of 2200 m above sea level. n. m., in the southwestern area of Norte de Santander. Its territorial area is 1,176 km² and its average temperature is 14°C. It limits to the north with Pamplonita, to the south with Cácota and Chitagá, to the east with Labateca and to the west with Cucutilla. It is connected by national highways with the cities of Cúcuta, Bucaramanga, Bogotá and Arauca.

Pamplona is a strategic hub, road and center of the Colombian east, since from there, in colonial times, the expeditions departed, in which the capital cities of the Colombian departments of Arauca, Norte de Santander and Santander were founded., and the Venezuelan states of Táchira and Mérida, thus being recognized as the founding city of cities.

History

Pedro de Ursúa and Captain Ortún Velázquez de Velasco founded the city on November 1, 1549 and baptized it with the name "Pamplona de Indias", in homage and memory of the Spanish city of Pamplona. King Carlos I of Spain granted it the title of "Very noble and very noble city" by his Royal Decree, on August 3, 1555.

The above occurred in a marvelous valley that was called the Valley of the Holy Spirit (for having been discovered on the eve of Pentecost, according to Maldonado et al., (1983), surrounded by tall hills and with a cold and humid temperature, by 136 adventurers. The city of Ursúa, as it is usually called, was left, divided into one hundred and thirty-six plots for each of the then founders.

Framed Pamplona on the Eastern Cordillera, boasts the beauty of its small valley, asleep to the soft lullaby of its Pamplonita River, the same one that lulled in its waves the cradles of its ancestral inhabitants the Chitareros, the Muiscas, Cacheguas, Suratáes, Uchamas, Babichas and others.

The first mayors of Pamplona were Alonso de Escobar and Juan Vasques; and the first councilors Juan de Alvear, Andrés de Acevedo, Hernando de Mescua, Juan de Tolosa, Sancho de Villanueva, Juan Andrés, Juan Rodríguez Suárez, Pedro Alonso, Juan de Torres and Beltrán de Unsueta: "Genealogies of Ocáriz' 3. 4;.

From there, the expeditions that founded, among others, the towns of Mérida, San Cristóbal and La Grita, in Venezuela, and Ocaña, Salazar de Las Palmas, Chinácota, San Faustino, Bucaramanga and San José de Cúcuta in Colombia, departed.

The inhabitants of what is now the province of Pamplona were called chitareros by the Spanish, because the men had the custom of carrying a calabazo or totuma with chicha or corn wine, as the Spanish called it, tied to their waists. Asking what the name of the person they were carrying was, they responded that he was a chitarero.

When the area was occupied by Pedro de Ursúa and Ortún Velasco de Velázquez in 1549, they reduced the primitive settlers to the encomienda regime. Around 100 groups or capitanejos were distributed in 53 encomiendas throughout the territory, according to researcher Jaime Jaramillo Uribe. On January 16, 1644, around five in the morning, the city was devastated by a terrible earthquake, after which and under the direction of the Jesuit brothers, the city of Pamplona rose again (Maldonado et al., 1983).

Location

Located on an important commercial route between the New Kingdom of Granada and the Captaincy of Venezuela, with lands of wonderful fertility and gold deposits in Montuosa and Vetas, it became one of the richest territories in the colony, only competed for the province of Socorro, which contributed to it being considered a political and administrative axis of the Spanish crown since the time of the conquest.

Patriot City

It deserved the nickname "Patriot City", as the Liberator Simón Bolívar described it for having been a pioneer of the New Granada revolution by proclaiming its Independence on July 4, 1810, in the person of Doña Águeda Gallardo de Villamizar (freedom that was finally declared on July 31 of the same year with a Provisional Assembly), and later, between 1819 and 1821, for having contributed significantly with human and economic resources to the liberating feat of Colombia and Venezuela. 'Pamplona' It was as important as Bogotá.

In 1910, with the creation of the department of Norte de Santander, it was included within its political jurisdiction, integrating itself as the Province of Pamplona, which in turn is made up of the municipalities of Cácota de Velasco, Cucutilla, Chitagá, Labateca, Mutiscua, Pamplonita, Toledo and Silos.

Culturally, it is worth highlighting a number of activities that transcend the national and international levels, which make the Student City a tourist epicenter that is well worth sharing: the Semana Mayor - which, together with the celebrations of Mompox and Popayán, are the most important in the country.

Pamplona belongs to the south-western Region of the Department, along with the municipalities of Pamplonita, Chitagá, Silos, Cácota and Mutiscua.

Its historic center stands out within the urban area (declared a Monument of National Interest according to Decree 264 of 1963), for a long time it has been the main educational center of eastern Colombia and of Táchira and Mérida in Venezuela, which is why it has It has been classified as a student city with a broad impact on university education in the region, it is also identified by the solemnity of its religious celebrations, events that have a large presence of people from other places in the country and from Táchira in Venezuela.

Pamplona is known as the "City of a Thousand Titles" thanks to its incomparable nicknames, among which stand out: Mitrada City, The Athens of the North, City of Mists, Pamplonilla la Loca, Student City, Patriot City, Very noble and very noble city, City of Ursúa, etc.

Geography

Location and limits

It is located at coordinates 72°39' longitude west of Greenwich and at 7° and 23' of northern latitude. It is located 2200 meters above sea level.

Pamplona, borders to the north with Pamplonita and Cucutilla, to the south with the municipalities of Cácota and Mutiscua, to the east with Labateca and to the west with Cucutilla. It has a total extension of 456 km

Political-administrative division

Administratively it is made up of 2 townships and 30 paths. It has two rivers: Pamplonita and Sulasquilla, and their respective tributaries: El Alisal, La Ramada, Quelpa, San Agustín, Monteadentro and La Lejía.

It is made up of the following trails: Cariongo, Alto Grande, Caima, Alizal, Santa Ana, El Rosal, Ulagá, Fontibón, Monteadentro, El Zarzal, Navarro, San Agustín, Chínchipa, Chilagaula, Peñas, Cúnuba, Tampaqueba, Iscaligua, Cimitarigua, García, Chíchira, Jurado, Escorial, Sabaneta, El Palchal, Llano Castro, Tencalá, San Francisco, Sabagúa, Alcaparral.

Topography

The municipality is located on the Eastern mountain range, at the fork of the great Nudo de Santurbán where it is divided into two branches: one that takes the northeastern direction towards Venezuelan territory and another that heads northwest to form the Motilones mountain range..

Province of Pamplona

The Province of Pamplona is a group of municipalities that surround Pamplona, the fifth city in the department of Norte de Santander.

The municipalities that make up this small conurbation are: Pamplonita, Chitagá, Silos, Cácota and Mutiscua. Its main nucleus is 75 km from Cúcuta.

Panoramic view of Pamplona (2013).

Economy

The city's economy is based mainly on education, as it is home to the University of Pamplona: thousands of students are housed and fed, and they are also the main consumers in the nightclubs and internet cafes that have been in business for a couple of years. For years they have proliferated due to the great demand they have.

In terms of agricultural production, potatoes are its main product, followed by strawberries, garlic, wheat, bell peppers, corn, beans, peas, and carrots. Regarding livestock farming, there are cattle, pigs, fish farming, rabbit farming and poultry.

Tourism

Places of interest

• Parque Águeda Gallardo: Located in the center of the City, around it is the most representative colonial architecture: the Casa de Doña Águeda Gallardo, the Cathedral Santa Clara, the Casa de Mercado, the Palacio Arzobispal, the Municipal Palace, the Museum of Modern Art; building that was the residence of Don Juan Maldonado of Ordóñez and Villaquirán, founder of the city of San Cristobal, branches of commercial entities, different offices and locals.

• Cathedral of Santa Clara: Old church of the convent of Santa Clara, built in 1584 by Doña Magdalena Velasco, daughter of the founder of the city Don Ortún Velasco de Velásquez. After several transformations in its structure, at the beginning of the 1980s by order of Monsignor Mario Revollo Bravo, Archbishop of the city, the restoration work that culminated in 1984, the year when its foundation was commemorated 400 years later. As a result he won the National Restoration Award at the XII Biennial of Architecture. This cathedral is where the ceremonies of priestly ordinances and funeral honors of the priests are held. Nowadays, the Cathedral of New Pamplona is the most important of Norte de Santander, with a range of Archdiocese. There is also a mausoleum where the mortal remains of bishops, archbishops and priests of the region rest. The cathedral is currently led by Presbyter Samuel Jaimes.

• Sanctuary of the Lord of the Humilladero: The hermitage of the Lord of the Humilladero dates from the first years after the foundation of the city. It was in its simple beginnings, small and covered with straw, gradually enriched by its faithful. From 1605 to 1613 the works of masonry were carried out that would make it a wide and dignified church to house one of the most valuable and venerated jewels of the Pamplonese people: the size of the “Holy Christ of the Humilladero” or “Lord of the Humilladero”, the European Renaissance work of the first half of the 16th century, accompanied by the sculptures of the two thieves carved in the city in 1595, By the end of the 1980s, the process of restoration of the temple culminates in 1989, turning the sanctuary into Parroquia of the Lord of the Humilladero.

• Archbishopric Palace: It was raised in the same place where the noble Rangel family of Cuellar, patriotically linked to the foundation of Pamplona, Cúcuta and Salazar de las Palmas, had its residence. Since 1837 it has been the residence of the bishops and later the Archbishops. In 1943 This beautiful palace was ordered to remodel by the then bishop of New Pamplona, Monsignor Rafael Afanador and Cadena, whose episcopal period has been the longest of the city (40 years) being the last bishop of New Pamplona, before being elevated to the category of Archdiocese in 1956. The current Archbishop is Monsignor Jorge Alberto Ossa Soto (named by Pope Francis in 2019).

• Casa de las Cajas Reales: It has been through the years: Residencia del Gobernador, Cuartel del Primer Batallón de Milicias (1809), Palacio de Gobierno de Pamplona, Gobernación de la Provincia y Palacio de Gobierno del Estado Soberano de Santander. From the 1970s to the present day, the SENA National Learning Service is located in it.

• Casa de Águeda Gallardo de Villamizar: Its construction dates back to the second half of the 16th century, historical events were held in different times; one of them was the pre-supply meetings or a cry of independence of July 4, 1810. At the end of the management of President Nortesantandereano, Virgilio Barco Vargas, what is now known as “Casa Águeda” was acquired by national properties for its restoration. In 2001 it opens its doors to the public to become a Virtual Library, managed by the University of Pamplona and cultural events.

• Museum of Modern Art Ramírez Villamizar: Inaugurated by the then president of Colombia Virgilio Barco in 1990, the museum houses among its collections the work of the artist and sculptor Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar. In addition, you can admire works by the most outstanding artists of the National Plastic such as Edgar Negret, Omar Rayo, Juan Antonio Roda, among others. Next to the foot of the magnolio located in this case rest the ashes of the master Ramírez Villamizar. *Museum of Modern Art Ramírez Villamizar This construction also called the house of the maries was the place of rest and passage of the liberator Simón Bolívar during the liberating campaign.

• Museum of Religious Art: Inaugurated in 1990, it was born under the need to protect and preserve the Religious Artistic heritage that through the times and historical events of the city have been managed to rescue and maintain. Currently the collection of the museum is made up of works of the Colonial Age such as painting, sculpture, goldsmiths, ornaments and other objects of religious character.
• Colonial House: Founded in 1960 by then president Alberto Lleras Camargo, it was the first museum of the department North of Santander. It is a museum in which you can appreciate the different stages of the colonization and independence of the city. At present, the Institute of Culture and Tourism of Pamplona also operates in the building.
• Casa Anzoátegui: Founded in 1989 as a national monument in memory of General José Antonio Anzoátegui, the museum highlights the life of this illustrious character, hero in the liberating campaign and his protagonist in the battle of August 7, 1819. It also preserves the notarial record of the colonial and republican life of the city from 1534 to 1990.
• Huerfanito Child Chapel: Chapel belonging to the convent of the Sisters. The image of the Childwhich, despite the destruction suffered by the chapel, remained intact with a slight inclination of the head and his hand blessing, tells the legend, to his owner, one of the nuns belonging to the cloister of the Claretian sisters.
• Our Lady of Carmen Church: It is one of the oldest and most architectural gem of the city. During their religious festival the guild of transporters of the region and parishioners meet to venerate their patron every 16 July.
• Greater Parish of Our Lady of the Snows: Also known as Church of Santo DomingoIt is one of the oldest religious temples in the city. Its foundation dates back to 1553 and was the first parish created in the old diocese of Pamplona. Also during his early years he served as a diocesan cathedral until his temple was destroyed by the earthquake of 1875 and from then on the cult of the Cathedral moved provisionally to the Church of Santa Clara. In the early twentieth century the temple was rebuilt a few blocks from its original location.
• Parish of San Francisco de Assisi: Founded in 1975, it is one of the most recently created parishes in the city, whose modern religious temple was built between the late 1970s and the mid-1980s.
• Chapel of the Major Seminary: This chapel was made with a profound theological and spiritual content to be a conducive place of prayer and meditation. Located at the St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, after several years of construction was completed in 1958. It is the only religious temple in the city, which preserves stained glass windows, paintings on its walls and wooden doors. These works were performed by European artists, such as the Hungarian painter Emericus Mosdossy of Batta and Walter Wolff, among others.
• University Campus: Also known as Ciudadela Universitaria, is the current main and administrative headquarters of the University of Pamplona. Built between 1997 and 2001 to replace its original headquarters, whose facilities were in an old colonial house located in the center of the city, which is currently known as the headquarters of the Faculty of Arts-Humanities and the program of Architecture of the university.

Festivities

• Holy Week or Major Week: One of the most recognized at the national and international levels, where pilgrims gather from all regions of Colombia and Venezuela. Through its traditional processions there is a great participation of the Brotherhood of Nazarenes of Pamplona, who on the way carry the traditional Steps (images) through the different streets of the city, accompanied by the young "sahumadoras" and the so-called "Caballeros de la Santa Cruz"; the latter made up of students of the Colegio Seminario Menor Santo Tomas De Aquino. As well as the participation of all the civil, military, educational authorities of Pamplona. The Holy Week in Pamplona is considered Cultural and Intangible Heritage of the Nation by Law 1645 of 12 July 2013.
• International Coral Festival of Sacred Music: It takes place during Holy Week in the different religious temples and cultural sites of Pamplona since 2003.
• Ferias y Fiestas del Grito de Independencia: They take place during the last week of the month of June and culminate on the 4th of July, the day of the commemoration of the Pamplona Independence Grito on July 4, 1810. Within the framework of the fairs and parties, different activities are held, including:
  • National Folk Dance Festival by Couples and Departmental Meeting of Training School in Dances.
  • Cuca Fair, Sweet, Pan and Pamplonesa Colation.
  • Traditional wooden cart race
  • Artisanal Fair.
  • Carriots and classic cars parade.
  • Orchestra Festival.
• Fundación de Pamplona: It is celebrated on November 1.
• Solemn Feast of the Child: It takes place in the middle of January in the chapel of the same name.
• Solemn party in honor of Our Lady of Carmen: Held on 16 July.
• Solemn Feast of the Lord of the Humilladero: It is held between the first and second week of September.

Featured Characters

Emergency care

Pamplona has a Volunteer Fire Department and members of the Colombian Civil Defense. The Pamplona Volunteer Fire Department responds to all types of emergencies in the province of Pamplona. It is headed by Captain Julio Cesar Espinosa Cerrano and its emergency numbers are 119 or 5683320.

Sister cities

• Pamplona, Spain
• Tovar, Venezuela
• La Grita, Venezuela
• Pamplona, Philippines