Diario las Américas., 1958-01-10
Know thv
keighborI
By ANTONIO RUIZ

/ OS tAA1SAAk
of Narino, located in the south of
the Republic, bordering with
Ecuador, has a population estim-
ated in $4,000, with an area of
19,708 square miles. Two different
regions form this department,
which borders on the west with
the Pacific Ocean, Ecuador on the
south, the Commissarie of Amaze
mas on the East and the Depart
ment of Cauca on the north.
One of these regions is formed
by the lowlands of the Pacific,
which have very hot climate, ex-
tenSive and thick jungleS and very
little population. The other is loo
ated in the east, and is mountain
Gus and cold, formed by the West
ern and Central Ranges of the An
des, with plateaus, valleys and
deep ravines. The plateau Of TIL
queries, at 9,843 feet above sea
level, is the principal n in the
department. Among the valleys
r those of Atriz, where the ca
pital, Paste, is located, and La
Cocha, which contains a large lake
of the same name.
Paste, the capital, was founded
in 1889 by Captain Lorenzo de AL
dana, at the foot of the Galeras
volcano, which is still active. Paste
has a population estimated in no.
600. Other important cities are Tu-
mace, port on the Pacific Ocean,
founded in 1914, with a population
of $4,000; founded in 1889 with
5000 and Ipiales, 1868 with 35,-
900.
Besides its VOLCANOES and its pro-
gressive capital city, Nariho offers
beautiful landscapes as special at
traction. The small farms give the
Department a beautiful appear
ance, due to the great variety of
cultivation. Beautiful sites, easy to
reach, are the famous Rumichaca
Bridge, the name of which in the
Quechua language means bridge of
stone. 1t is on the border with the
Republic of Ecuador, in the region
of Ipiales; the La Cocha Lake, in a
beautiful landscape, is the center
of many native legends. 1t has the
peculiar feature of being exactly
the same shape as South America.
The Sanctuary of Nuestra Seno-
ra de las Lajas, 3 miles from Ipia-
les, is visited by thousands of Co.
lombians, pilgrims and tourists
from other countries, and in the
Catholic world it is considered
equal to the Sanctuary of Lourdes,
France.
Also in the southern part of
Colombia is the Department of
HULA, with a population of 300,-
900 and an area of 7,73 square
miles. 1t is located in the Upper
Magdalena Valley. The central
pain, IS miles long is of hot,
tropical climate, locked in between
the slopes and peaks of the Cen
trail and Eastern ranges of the
Andes, where there are also tenn.
.perate and cold regions, some
crowned with snow, as the Snow
Peak of HULA, 17,44 feet above
sea level. N8eiva, the capital, was
founded in 1850 by Captain Juan
Alfonso, and has a population of
10000. Gar6n, seat of the Dioceses
was founded in 1882, has $1,000
inhabitants, and is the second city
of the Department.
The principal tourist attraction
in HULA is the Archaeological Park
of San Agustin, a town officially
founded in IT'S, but in which ira
ces of a civilization dating from
long before the discovery of Anne.
RIGA have been founded. Accord.
ing to studies carried out recently
by we'll known world authorities
and Colombian scientists, the his
torical culture of San Agustin
dates from many centuries before
the arrival of the Spaniards.
Some samples of stone carvings
believed to be the work of the
Kamsa tribes, which have been
traced as far as 500 years before
Christ, are to be found in Coro-
graphs Museums of Leipzig and
Berlin, the Britannia of London
and the National Museum Of Bo
gotta.
' Spanish Version Page 3