Génova, Quindío

Génova is a municipality in the southern part of the department of Quindío, Colombia. It is located 52 km south of the departmental capital Armenia.

Génova was the birthplace in 1928 of Pedro Antonio Marín, who later adopted the name Manuel Marulanda Vélez and became the primary leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Colombia's oldest and largest militant guerrilla group.

Luis Garavito, a serial killer, also hails from Génova.

In 2005 Génova had an estimated population of 12,600, of which 7,100 live in the main urban zone.

History

Génova was founded by Segundo Henao Patiño, who had founded Calarcá in 1886. During the Thousand Day War, Henao was told by mule drivers arriving from Antioquia and Tolima that the government war ministry was executing liberal guerrillas, with or without trial. In order to hide from these potential reprisals, he organized a group of liberals from Calarcá to explore the mountains to the south.

The expedition, headed by Henao, included the families Patiño, Ossa, Ospina, Restrepo, Aria, Herrera, Aguilar, Cardona, González, Orozco and Giraldo. The group planted out land along the Gris and Azul rivers. There were already several settlers living in the region, near the Gris River.

Henao was well-known throughout the region for his role in the foundation of Calarcá, and all of the settlers enthusiastically supported him when he announced his intention to form a new town. He was placed in charge of choosing a site and designing the street plans. Henao chose a site near the joining of the Gris and San Juan rivers, on the land of Luis Ossa.

The official foundation took place on October 12 1903. Génova became a "corregimiento" of Calarcá in 1906, and was later included in the municipality of Pijao when this was created in 1927. In 1937 it became a separate municipality, with Fución Londoño the first mayor.

References

Loaiza Piedrahita, Oscar (2004), "Los corredores del tiempo: Guía turística por la historia del Quindío". ISBN 958-33-7088-6. Book in Spanish on the history of the municipalities of Quindío until the foundation of the department in 1966. The local history is placed in the context of wider events in Colombia.