The town of El Líbano was founded in the second half of the Nineteenth Century by a group of Antioquian coffee pioneers who set out from Manizalez, crossed the snow-covered Andean volcano and settled in a rich valley in the State of Tolima.
The Cedar trees inspired these educated settlers to name their village after Lebanon. Their agriculture-based economy was driven by coffee and cacao growing, and their prized Arabica and Mocha beans were exported directly to Europe.
By the turn of the Century, El Líbano was enjoying a golden age of prosperity. Chocolate factories were established, books and magazines were published and the town was included in the circuit of every theatre, music and dance company that came to Colombia.
The Colombian Architect and painter Fernando Turk Rubiano has painted a beautiful watercolor of this town. You can see his entire art collection at www.colarte.arts.co.
Yours most truly,
Mariano Ospina
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