Buga

Guadalajara de Buga stands in the Cauca valley beside the Guadalajara River, between the central and western ranges of the Colombian Andes. Indigenous communities inhabited the valley before Spanish conquest. The colonial town occupied several sites during the sixteenth century before settling in its present valley location. Its streets and churches grew as Buga became a centre for the surrounding agricultural country.

Tradition connects the town with an image of Christ known as the Lord of Miracles, venerated by generations of pilgrims. The principal church was built between the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. In 1811 Buga joined Cali and other Cauca valley towns in a confederation opposing the royalist governor of Popayán. The alliance placed the town in the early struggle over the political future of New Granada.

The later city of Palmira lies nearby.