Guacarí

Guacarí is a municipality in the centre of Valle del Cauca located 69 kilometres north of Cali, with a population of 33,667 inhabitants and geographic coordinates of 3°45'49''N / 76°19'58''W. Founded in 1570, its name in the indigenous Yotoco language means 'White Heron' and evokes a goddess of the pre-Columbian cultures that inhabited this territory. The Casa Cural, built in 1600, is one of the oldest historic buildings in Valle del Cauca, reflecting the municipality's deep colonial roots and its relevance in the early evangelisation of the region.

The municipality combines an agro-industrial economy based on sugar cane, panela, soybean and coffee cultivation with a growing cultural tourism centred around pre-Columbian archaeological sites found in the villages of Guabas, Canangua and Guacas. This confluence of pre-Hispanic past, colonial heritage and diversified agricultural activity shapes a municipal identity that Guacarí also projects in its physical activity and public health programmes within the ACES América framework.