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Founded in 1883 by the spouses José María Marín and María Encarnación Marín, who were the first Antioqueno settlers to reach these properties, among other settlers, Julián Ortiz and his wife Juliana Aguirre, Saturnino Marín, and José María Ledesma stand out. Carmelo Marín, Rafael Alvarez and Urbano Osorio.



The municipality of Apía, Risaralda, Colombia is located on mountainous territory whose relief corresponds to the eastern slope of the western mountain range of the Andes, with a mountainous relief, 214 km² at an altitude of 1630 meters above sea level, which motivates a very pleasant temperature average of 19 ºC.

Its head is located at 5º 07´ longitude to the West of Greenwich. Height above sea level: 1,600. Average temperature 19 ºC. It is 66 km from the capital of the Department (Pereira).

The Municipality of Apía is located approximately 65 km northwest of Pereira. Its mountainous territories are watered by the waters of the Apía, Guarne and San Rafael rivers.

Apía belongs to the plant formation, a very humid premontane forest (bmh-PM), with an average annual rainfall of 2,300 mm and an average temperature of 19 ºC. The relief is mountainous with steep slopes, the climate varies from cold in the high mountains such as Cerro Tatamá, at 4,150 m high, to medium in the urban area and close to the Apia River at 1,320 meters above sea level. The location of the municipality favors the action of the winds, especially those coming from the north, giving a colder climate to the head. These conditions allow it to have a very varied agriculture.

The difference in heights, which ranges from 1,000 meters above sea level in its lowest part, to 4,150 meters above sea level in Cerro del Tatamá, makes it possible for the Municipality to have a potential and active agriculture, suitable for its own crops in a warm, medium climate and cold.

All this diversity of soils and climates make Apia a municipality with an excellent agricultural potential that with adequate policies of development, credit and marketing, a great variety of crops could be obtained for commercial purposes.

In addition to the above, there is a large established area of ​​natural forests, rich in cedars, oak, cherry, yarum, etc. and own shrubs of heights higher than 1,800 meters above sea level.

Apia is by tradition a coffee town, if one takes into account that since the arrival of Father Guzmán, this priest greatly encourages the cultivation of coffee and following the example of the Santandereano priest, Francisco Romero, imposes on his parishioners in the confessional, the obligation to plant coffee trees on their properties.

Currently there are 4,600 hectares cultivated in coffee, of which 600 are technified coffee plants, thanks to the campaigns undertaken by the Committee of Coffee Growers.

Annual coffee production is 371,000 arrobas, which places the Municipality in 68th place nationwide and 8th in the Department of Risaralda, which ranks first in the nation. Outside of coffee, approximately 300 ha are dedicated to temporary crops located within the coffee zone; In the upper and lower parts, basically bananas, corn, beans, arracacha and cassava are produced, but these crops are barely enough to supply the consumption of the peasant family and a little that of the region.

Sugar cane, despite the existence of very good panela establishments in the municipality, is no longer cultivated, and paradoxically the only establishment for the production of panela is located in the La Línea region, which is a marginal zone far above 2,000 meters above sea level.

Lands with pastures, there are about 850 ha, with species such as micay, yaraguá, savannah, kikuyo, india, pointer, etc. There are also some small lots with imperial grass crops and other cut grasses.

Despite the fact that Apia was a municipality with excellent cattle ranches, at present cattle ranching is practically based on the purchase of animals from the same region to fatten or improve them a bit and take them to the slaughterhouse or to the fair. It is therefore an unstable livestock in terms of management, marketing and quality of the animals, with predominantly crosses of Creole cattle such as the white-eared white with zebu, holstein and other breeds of meat and milk.

Pig farming is relatively low: a few farms, and as for fattening pig, it can almost be said that it is kept at home.

Sheds for the production of eggs and chicken fattening, there is only one assembly in the municipality.







The festivities of the Virgin of La Candelaria and its anniversary festivities in the month of August are recognized in Apia. Likewise, the celebrations of the Heart of Jesus, the Virgin of Perpetual Help, Saint Anthony and the Virgin of Carmen, make religious fervor a characteristic factor of the region. The traditional architecture and natural landscapes such as the Agualinda Botanical Garden and the manganese mine in La Sombra village complement its tourist heritage.

Main Sites of Interest:

Tatamá National Natural Park, Agualinda Municipal Natural Park, La María Municipal Natural Park, San Isidro Wine Farm, San Antonio Manganese Mines, Nuestra Señora del Rosario Church, Monument to the Arrieros, Botanical Garden, Popa Falls, Morro Lagoon Azul, River Valley Map and House of Culture.

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