Armenia travel guide

Armenia, capital of Quindío Department, was named in memory of the massacres that took place in Armenia by Turkish Ottomans in the 19th century. Armenia, Colombia also has a tragic recent past. It has been affected by some of the worst earthquakes in the area, with that of January 1999 being particularly devastating. Most buildings in the centre of the city were damaged; about 30% were destroyed.

In spite of this, Armenia is a busy place, busier than either Pereira or Manizales. The Rodrigo Arenas Betancur Monumento al Esfuerzo in the Plaza de Bolívar poignantly portrays the present attitude of the local population. New construction is of high quality and hotels and restaurants are fresh and comfortable.

The surrounding Quindío countryside is a major coffee zone, and the slopes of the Cordillera here are home to the wax palm . Armenia, founded in 1889, suffers when international coffee prices fall and they have been low since the mid 1990s, but this is an enterprising sector of Colombia and you will see many new and different agricultural crops and activities developing. One of particular interest is the opening of many fine fincas to visitors for holidays.