Cerrito, Santander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cerrito, Santander
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Municipality and town
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Location of the municipality and town of Cerrito, Santander in the Santander Department of Colombia.
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| Country |  Colombia |
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| Department | Santander Department | ||
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time) | ||
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Cerrito is a Colombian municipality in the Santander Department located in the province of García Rovira in northeastern Colombia. It is noted for its natural environment and for having emblematic places of the department such as the chapel of Jesus Nazareno and the ruins of a Spanish seminary in the village of Servitá.
History
In 1772, the population of Servitá was linked to the parish of Concepción. The inhabitants of the site "Aposentos del Cerrito", found it difficult to access the spiritual administration because the church of the new parish to which they had been attached was very far away, so the foundation of the municipality was approved in 1775 by the viceroy Manuel Guirior, in response to a community petition from the inhabitants of the area.
The inhabitants, led by Vicente Calderón, had sent to the archbishop of Santafé de Bogotá a petition to found their own parish, because the roads in the region were dangerous and impassable, making it difficult for people to attend religious services.
After the separation with Spain, the Cerritanos took part in several civil wars, for which the municipal council approved, on June 29, 1889, the resolution by means of which the council, the employees and all the inhabitants of the Municipality of Cerrito were consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Geography
The town, which has an area of 549 km2, is located in a cold territory (its headwaters have temperatures close to 14 - 16 °C), close to the Paramo del almorzadero". The altitude of the territory is between 2220 and 4200 meters above sea level. The highest mountain pass in Colombia is located at an approximate altitude of 3800 meters above sea level in the "Páramo del Almorzadero".
Poisoning of condors
According to the statistics of the CAS (Corporación Autónoma Regional de Santander) this municipality occupies the first place in deaths of Andean Condors by poisoning in the distribution area of the species in the Colombian Andes. Inhabitants poison condors with contaminated carrion alleging without grounds that "they are a danger to livestock". It is estimated that the number of Andean condors inhabiting the Colombian area of the Andes Mountains does not exceed 150 specimens.
