Toponymy

The city has a name that is composed in the way of almost all Spanish foundations in America. Santiago (one of the most popular names on the continent thanks to Santiago de Compostela's devotions in Spain), honors Apostle Santiago. Cali was founded on July 25, the day when the date of the Apostle Santiago, patron saint of Spain, is celebrated. That's why this name is given to the city. Cali's name has several readings instead: it may come from the paez Caly language (needless weaving) ​ or possibly alludes to one of the indo-american peoples or the name it gave to the region and a river south of the city, Lili (in paez, "humid"). ​ it has also been thought that it was indigenous aztecs at the service of the conquerors who gave the name to Cali, of Náiz, huatl calli ("house") ​ or possibly a Quechua word of origin introduced by the Yanaconas Indians who were brought by the founder Sebastián of Belalcázar from Ecuador, an interpretation supported by the existence of an indigenous population named "Cali Cali" in the vicinity of Quito. The most probable etymology is the peez, since several names from Valle del Cauca find its meaning in that language, ​ especially if you follow the old dictionary of Eugenio del Castillo and Orozco. ​

Symbols

Flag

Cali flag.

Coat of arms of Cali.

In 1928, the Cali flag was created and made official on May 31, 1954. The city flag has horizontal stripes in white, green, blue and red. ​

Shield

A Royal ballot paper signed by Joan of Austria on June 17, 1559, in the absence of his brother King Philip II, gave the "very noble and loyal city" its present shield: ​ ​

Seven mogotes (round-pointed mounds) of earth color, the one in the middle higher than the others, and to the right hand of the bottom is a city of gold between two rivers and green trees, and at the bottom of that shield is a seaport with a swim in the said river, up with canoes with their blue and white-water oars.

Himno

Cali's anthem was written by Helcías Martán Góngora and his music was composed by Santiago Velasco Llanos. In 1980, the anthem was chosen when it won the national competition organized by the municipal administration. On February 16, 1980, the anthem was officially adopted and released on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of Simón Bolívar in the Municipal Theater of Cali. ​

Location

The city is located at coordinates 3°27′00″N 76°32′00″W / 3.45000, -76.533333 , in the department of Valle del Cauca. Geographically Cali is in the Cauca River Valley, the second most important of the country. At the height of Cali this valley is 22 miles wide and the urban area is on the western side of the river. The western part of the city is guarded by the famous Farallones of Cali, which are part of the Western Cordillera of the Colombian Andes.

The municipality of Cali borders Yumbo and the Summit to the north, Palmira to the north and Candelaria to the east. To the south is the municipality of Jamundí, the rural area of Buenaventura to the south-west and Dagua to the north-west.

The city is flat with an average elevation of 1,000 meters. Cali is also at a strategic and neuralgic point: to the west (approximately 100 km) it connects with the port of Buenaventura on the pacific coast, and to the north-east the industrial center of Yumbo with which the Metropolitan Area of Cali is composed. The city is also a passage along the Pan American Way and therefore an obligated passage from Colombia to Ecuador.

Hydrography

Cali River seen from Cali Tower.

Rivers of the municipality of Cali.

The main river of the city and the department is the river Cauca, the part corresponding to the municipality comes from the mouth of the river Jamundí to the border between Cali and Yumbo. El Cauca is of a winding nature as it passes through the department of Valle, in 40 km navigated in the municipality, only 26 km in a south-north direction are advanced after multiple meanders.

Half way through Cali, the Cauca River receives the polluting load of the Southern Intersector Channel (CVC), which brings black water from the southeastern part of the city. This canal runs for almost 1 km to the Dumping Ground in Navarro, 2.5 km from the Cauca River. Although this garbage dump has been definitively closed (January 2008), thousands of tons of garbage were laid in a low-tech way and leachates were being leaked to the collector channel and polluted the Cauca river afterwards. ​

Following the course of Cauca, 11 km after the mouth of the Southern Colector Canal, is the purification plant of Puerto Mallarino, where 80% of the water consumed by the city is taken. The river receives relief, 3.4 km later, at the wastewater treatment plant of Cañaveralejo PTAR-C. Finally, after 40 km, Cauca leaves Cali to enter the industrial center of Yumbo, where more pollution awaits it.

Several rivers descend from the Western Cordillera passing through the municipal area of Cali, marking boundaries between the corridors and ending in the Cauca River. In the north of the municipality, Quebrada el Chocho and the Aguacatal River are born. La Quebrada el Chocho begins in the district of La Paz (northern municipality), down in the north-south direction, marking the eastern limit of the district of La Castilla and ending in the Aguacatal River north-west of the city. In turn, the Aguacatal River was born in the district of La Elvira, its flow marks the western boundary of the district of La Castilla and flows into the Cali River.

In the western part of the municipality, the Cali River is born, between the districts of Felidia and La Leonera, enters the urban area between the hills of Christ the King and the Three Crosses and finally taxes its waters to the Cauca River in the north of the city. Further west from the municipality, the Pichindé River, which marks the boundary between the same name and Los Andes, is born and dies in the Cali River near El Saladito. The rivers Cañaveralejo, Melendez and Lilí are born in the center of the municipality and end up in the Intersector Channel CVC Sur, which pours its waters into the Cauca River in the south of the city. In the Pance regiment, the river of the same name is born, which tributes its waters in the river Jamundí, which in turn flows into the river Cauca in the southeast of the municipality.

Climate

Tree of Guaiacum officinale (Guayacán) in a park of Cali. This tree blooms all year round due to the tropical climate of the city.

Cali's climate is warm and dry, within the As-Tropical category with dry summer according to the Köppen Climate Classification. The Western mountain range blocks wet air fronts from the Pacific Ocean, although it's remarkable that the sea breeze reaches the city. The western mountain range has an average altitude of 2,000 meters in the north of the city and reaches 4,100 meters in the south, making the south-west region of the city more rainy than the north-west. On average, annual precipitation ranges from 900 mm in the drier areas to 1,800 mm in the rainier areas, with an average of 1,483 mm above most of the Metropolitan area of Cali. The average temperature is 24.0 °C (73.6 °F). At dawn the minimum temperature is between 17 and 24 °C (66 °F) and an average maximum is between 30 and 34 °C (86 °F) in the afternoon, nights are generally cooler, with an average of 21 °C (66 °F) and 24 °C (66 °F). Maximum absolute temperature of 36 °C and minimum absolute temperature of 13 °C. The dry seasons range from December to February and from June to August and the rainy season from March to May and from September to November. Relative air humidity is slightly less than 70% in dry months and in rainy seasons it reaches values of 75 to 76%. The sun shines about four hours a day in rainy months, but in dry months, sunstroke comes to six hours a day, on average.

The highest temperature recorded in Cali was 39 °C on 16 August 1979, and the lowest temperature was 14 °C on 18 June 1979.

Average climate parameters of Cali
Month	Jan.	Feb.	Sea.	Apr.	May.	Jun.	July.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. Aps. (°C)	36.6	33.9	35.8	34.4	36.2	34.6	32.4	32.6	12.1	33.8	36.2	35.3	36.6
Temp. max. mean (°C)	29.9	31.1	30.0	28.0	28.5	12.5	32.6	33.0	30.5	28.0	28.5	31.0	10.3
Temp. mean (°C)	23.4	23.9	24.2	24.7	24.6	24.1	24.0	24.2	23.8	23.7	23.6	23.5	24
Temp. min. mean (°C)	19.4	20.0	19.8	16.9	18.2	20.1	20.7	20.5	19.5	16.4	18.7	19.6	19.2
Temp. min. Aps. (°C)	16	15	17	14	16	14	15	16	15	14	15	17	11
Total precipitation (mm)	52.6	78.6	103.3	122.8	117.4	48.7	28.0	46.2	69.0	114.6	109.2	78.4	968.8
Rainfall Days (≥ )	10	10	13	15	16	10	8	9	11	17	14	12	145
Sun Hours	183.0	155.8	166.5	139.0	147.1	153.1	189.9	175.1	157.4	151.1	153.8	170.1	1941.9
Source: Institute of Meteorological Hydrology and ​ Environmental Studies

Natural resources

Panoramic Hallons of Cali.

The location within the Valle del Cauca, the climate and the relief make the city a space of great natural wealth. The confluence of rivers and other water sources makes the region a natural power of crops such as sugar cane and animal husbandry.

As for minerals, although the Valle del Cauca is not a region of metals, in the municipality of Cali there are several mineral coal mines in the so-called Guachinté and Ferreira formations, located south and north of the urban area in the central part of the municipality. In the northern part of the urban area, stretching towards Yumbo, there are open-pit mines of construction materials. ​

Environmental pollution

Reports from the Administrative Department of Environmental Management (DAGMA) show an improvement in the city's air quality. ​ Until the end of 2004, the northern area, critical for the proximity of the Yumbo industrial center, contained more than 50 μ g/m³ of dust particles (the highest international standards); by the first quarter of 2006, north air pollution had been reduced to 40 μ g/m³. The average concentration of particles in the city air (33.90 μ g/m³) is below the permitted maximum, but can be considered high by the geographical conditions of the urban area located in a valley more than 30 km wide, although it is low compared to other Colombian cities such as Medellin and Bogotá where the index is more than 60 μ g/m³. ​ ​ Air pollution it is largely due to the number of automobiles, their slow mobility, and the low quality of gasoline used (with 5,000ppm sulfur).

In terms of water pollution, the GMA conducts measurements of biological demand for DBO5 oxygen and total suspended solids (TSS). According to reports from 2005 the Cauca River has on average 3.94 mg/l in the DBO5 index which is considered moderate pollution, however the Cali and Cañaveralejo rivers have on average 55.5 and 79.7 mg/l, respectively, exceeding the limit of potability (50 mg/l). ​

Main archeological cultures of Valle del Cauca upon the arrival of the Spanish.

Pre-Columbian art exhibit at the Department Museum of Natural Sciences in Cali.

Funeral Mask of Calima Culture (Fase ilama), at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Santiago de Cali is one of the oldest cities in Colombia and the Americas. Its founding dates back to 1536 at the hands of the conqueror Sebastian of Belalcázar, only three years from the founding of Cartagena de Indias (1533), two years before the founding of Santa Fe de Bogotá (1538), eleven years from Santa Marta (1525) and 26 years from the founding founding the first Hispanic population on the continent: Santa María la Antigua del Darién (1510), disappeared.

Pre-Columbian period

Cali and in general the Andean region and the Pacific coast of the department of Valle del Cauca constitute an area of archeological interest of the pre-Columbian era. While many Amerindian peoples in the region have a direct relationship with Carib families, the probability of ancient Mesoamerican cultural incursions is also analyzed. Near Cali you will find archeological ruins of Calima Culture, belonging to the Caribbean linguistic family.

At the arrival of the Spaniards, the Gorrones Indians inhabited between the current municipalities of Roldanillo and Cali - the largest gorron settlement was located on the Pescador River, near the current populations of Zarzal and Bugalagrande. The Gorrones bartered with the Quimbaya people who lived in the north of the current department of Valle del Cauca and the Eje Cafetero. ​

Conquest

In 1534, the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar founded the city of Quito on an expedition sent by Francisco Pizarro. Later, in search of El Dorado, he enters the current Colombian territory and founded the city of Popayán. If the domination of the Inca Empire proved not very complicated, the fall of the Amerindian peoples of present-day Colombia would also not be difficult, given their political organization of confederation of tribes. On their way to the current department of Valle del Cauca, the Spanish passed through the region of the Timbas, who fled leaving behind their town and their belongings, which meant an easy booty for the Spaniards. On their northern journey, the conquistadores entered the territory of the Jamundí cacique whose people dominated the region between the Pance and Jamundí rivers. The Jamaicans strongly resisted the invaders, fighting against poisoned darts and arrows against the Spanish arches and swords.

After the defeat and takeover of the Jamundi people, the Spaniards got gold, which increased their ambition and their courage to move north. The last important link in the region was the sharp cacique Petecuy and his village, which was located between the Lilí River and the West Cordillera of the Andes. Petecuy faced the invaders with a large army formed by a tribal confederation. The final battle in which one of the former sovereigns of the Americas fell to European dominance took place on a Holy Tuesday of 1536. ​ ​

Unlike Petecuy and Jamundí, the Gorrones easy surrendered to the Spaniards. The dominated Amerindian peoples were divided as in all the nascent colonies, in the envelopes and other structures of the Spanish domain. The phenomenon of mixing with the mixture between Spanish (who came to conquests without women) and Aboriginal people also began. Subsequently, with the bringing of enslaved Africans to American soil, this process would have larger dimensions. ​.

Foundation and Colony

Belalcázar Sebastian Monument, located in the west of the city.

On July 25, 1536 Sebastián de Belalcázar founded the city of Santiago de Cali, initially established north of the river, near Vijes and Riofrío. Under Belalcázar's orders, Captain Miguel Muñoz relocated to the city, where chaplain Fray Santos de Añasco held a mass at the place occupied by the Church of the Merced.

During the Colony, the city of Santiago de Cali was part of the governorate of Popayán. Although Cali was initially the capital of the Governorate, in 1540 Belalcázar assigns this function to Popayán due to the temperate climate of that city. Just like the rest of the colonized territories in Latin America, the city soon began to have rebellions of Maroons: "In 1580, there were reports of sprouts of marronage and rebellions of black slaves in the governorate of Popayán, specifically around the city of Santiago de Cali; black slaves were besieging the real roads of the vicinity of the city" ​ The palenques gave birth to many of the nearby towns, such as Morga in the town of El Hormiguero ​, and became spaces of resistance to oppression and very early projects of collective freedom ​.

Until the 18th century, much of the present territory of Cali was occupied by haciendas and the city was just a small villa near the Cali River. The haciendas were owned by the Spanish class, who held numerous slaves and devoted their lands to livestock and sugar cane planting. By urbanizing many of these haciendas they would give rise to neighborhoods, such as Cañaveralejo, Pasoancho, Arroyohondo, Cañasgordas, Limonar and Meléndez.

At the time of Cologne, Cali was strategically positioned for trade. Its location would once again make it a key site in the passage between the mining regions of Antioquia, Popayán and Chocó. At this time, the first horseshoe road between Buenaventura and Cali was built.

Panoramic of the Chapel of San Antonio, located in the San Antonio neighborhood, one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city. Founded on December 24, 1746.

The Confederate Cities of the Cauca Valley

Tribute to the Confederate Cities, in the House of the Viceroy (Carthage).

On July 3, 1810 Santiago de Cali proclaimed his independence from the Popayán government. This uprising took place 17 days before the Cry of Independence in Santa Fe de Bogotá. The independentists sought support for their cause and formed the "Friendly Cities of the Valle del Cauca" that gathered Cali, Cartago, Toro, Buga, Anserma (Ansermanuevo) ​ and Caloto.​ The governor of Popayán, Miguel Tacón and Rosique, organized an army to control the uprisings. Callian patriots appealed for help to the Supreme Board of Bogotá, which sent a contingent to support the independence cause under Colonel Antonio Baraya. On March 28, 1811, at the Battle of Bas-Palacé, the Baraya Army with the help of Atanasio Girardot defeated the realistic troops. The first one died in that battle and it was the Afro-descendant Juan Cancio, along with General Manuel María Larrahondo. ​ ​ The territory of Cali and the New Granada in general, will be independent during the so-called Boba Homeland. By 1815, Spain's King Ferdinand VII sent a large army under the command of the Pacifier Pablo Morillo who returned power to the Spanish Crown.

Bolívar and Gran Colombia's Campaign

In 1819 after the liberator Simón Bolívar defeated the bulk of the realist army in the Battle of Boyacá, new uprisings took place in the Valle del Cauca and the Creoles took control of the region for good. Cali had the honor of receiving the Liberator of America, in 1822 Simón Bolívar passed through Cali being received with honors. ​ With Bolívar occupied in the war, Francisco de Paula Santander takes over the reins of the government of the nascent Gran Colombia. Santander's progressive mindset expressed in the separation of the state from the Catholic church brought benefits to Cali, such as the creation of the Santa Librada School in the predits of the Convent of San Agustín. After a second trip to Peru, Bolívar returns and passes through Cali in 1829 where he is welcomed with joy.

The Republic of New Granada

National Palace Building.

Map of Cali in 1880.

The economy of the Vallecaucana region was based on finance, in urban centers like Cali the economy had not boomed. In 1830 Cali was made up of the neighborhoods: San Antonio, La Merced, Santa Rosa, San Nicolás and Santa Librada.

In 1832 Santander was appointed President of the Republic of New Granada. A new constitution gives autonomy to the provinces and Santander has a successful political and economic mandate. In 1835, the governorate of Popayán was divided into the provinces of Buenaventura, Cauca and Popayán; Cali was attached to the province of Buenaventura. This year, the work of the Ortiz Bridge, which would unify the city and develop the north of the city, begins.

As Santander's successor, the congress appoints José Ignacio de Márquez, who faces rebellions in the south of the country led by José María Obando. In 1841 Obando incites the rebellion of slaves in the south of the Valle del Cauca, and forms an army of guerrillas that ends up taking Cali and sowing terror in the territories between Cali and Popayan. As early as 1843, in the face of the instability brought by the guerrillas following Obando, the central government assigns General Eusebio Borrero the task of controlling the insurgents, a task in which this military was unsuccessful. The cessation of hostilities in the region was achieved by Pedro Alcántara Herrán, the successor to José Ignacio de Márquez.

With a new constitution in 1845, General Tomas Cipriano Mosquera is appointed as successor to Alcántara Herrán. Mosquera's rule brought prosperity to the country, in Cali education was boosted by bringing educated teachers in Europe to the Holy Liberated College.

After the War of the Supremes, the parties will be formed, José Hilario López is appointed as a successor to Mosquera in 1849, who despite adverse conditions has made important achievements such as the complete abolition of slavery, which meant the end of the haciendas in the Valle del Cauca. López's soft hand allows the formation of groups of bandits who brought instability and chaos, making it impossible to revive economic activity.

By 1850, the construction of the road between Cali and Buenaventura began, a primary necessity for a region as isolated as Cali.

After a period of political instability, in 1855 the Cali Manuel María Mallarino, as vice president, replaced José María Obando before his impeachment by the Senate. With Mallarino comes a period of relative calm and boom in the economy of Valle del Cauca with an increase in exports of tobacco, quinine, gold and coffee.

From the Grenadian Confederation, it can be said that the civil war left the city in a deep economic crisis, although it is worth noting that in 1860 the La Manuelita genius was modernized, leading the further development of the sugar industry of the Cauca Valley.

United States of Colombia

The problems of government during the beginning of the United States of Colombia (1866) brought negative consequences to Cali and the Valley. The coup d'état by Santos Acosta led to the interruption for several years of the work on the Cali-Buenaventura road, which has delayed the economic development of the city and region.

In terms of infrastructure, in 1869, after four years in its planning, work begins on the road between Cali and Palmyra. The passage over the Cauca River was made with a cable boat. In 1870, the construction of the municipal aqueduct in Cali was planned and would be completed almost 30 years later. With Manuel Murillo Toro as president, in 1872 the contract for the construction of the Pacific Railway was signed with the Minera and Construction Company of Valle del Cauca. Also in Murillo Toro's mandate comes the telegraph to Cali on February 11, 1873. The region's economy is beginning to prosper.

During the administration of Aquileo Parra, in 1875, economic depression and civil war wreaked havoc on the economy of Valle del Cauca. On December 24, 1876, Cali was taken and looted by a bandit group mostly made up of African-Americans, then a locust plague ruins crops and a period of drought followed by a severe winter, ruining the region's agriculture, bringing a famine. Parra's term of office is ended by General Sergio Camargo. For the Vallecaucana region, a contract is signed with the Cuban engineer Francisco J. Cisneros for the construction of the Pacific Railway in 1829.

Railway station. It worked for the Pacific Railway, it currently works for a private company. It is considered a national monument and is located in Comuna 2. ​

Cali during the nascent Republic of Colombia

The civil war broke out with great intensity in 1885, under the presidency of Rafael Núñez, the cities of Cali and Buenaventura had fallen into rebel hands and were recovered by General Juan Eleuterio Ulloa. After the defeat of the rebels, Núñez establishes the Colombian Constitution of 1886.

In 1887, we started sailing on steam-powered boats in the Cauca River, an idea that had begun to be planned more than 15 years ago. By the end of the century, the city finally has aqueduct after 30 years from the start of its planning.

The Thousand Days War was counterproductive to the development of the city as it did the rest of the country and brought an economic recession and a halt to the works of progress. ​

20th century

Postal de Cali, before the creation of the Department of Valle del Cauca.

Inaugural Ceremony of the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Cali was just a small village, compared to other Colombian cities, which depended politically and economically on Popayán. On October 26, 1910, the city first sees the electric light, with the lighting of Cayzedo Square. In 1911 with 28,000 inhabitants, Cali became the capital of the nascent department of Valle del Cauca, which was divided in Cauca. By this time the Vallecaucana region was heavily cultivated and its future as an agricultural supplier seemed secure. However, there were no roads connecting the Cauca Valley with the rest of the country, which kept the region isolated.

The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 and the arrival of the railway in 1915 break Cali's isolation with the rest of the country and the world. In the 1930s, with the advent of liberal transformation policies in the country, the road that linked the city with Bogotá on the Central Cordillera was built. The road to Buenaventura was completed between 1926 and 1945. This basic road infrastructure, together with the modernization of the sugar industry, and the growth of coffee exports through Buenaventura, were of vital importance for the development of the region.

In 1928, the city consisted of the neighborhoods of San Antonio, El Centro, El Vallado, El Pueblo, La Loma de la Cruz and la Loma de las Mesas. Until the 1930s, people in the city had to stock up on water using 11 batteries, most notably Crespo and Rock. On December 31, 1930, after 14 years of planning, the city's first modern aqueduct was inaugurated: San Antonio. Only a year later, the Municipal Public Companies of Cali (EMCALI) were created.

By the 1950s, Cali (then 240,000 inhabitants) had embarked fully on an industrialization plan with foreign capital. A black page of the Calensian history occurred on August 7, 1956 when about 1,100 people were killed when seven trucks laden with explosives for the army were exploded and parked irresponsibly in the middle of the urban area.

A memorable event for Cali of the 20th century was the celebration in the city of the Pan American Games in 1971. The preparation of this sporting spectacle gave a touching of development and beautification to the public space. Much of the city's sports infrastructure dates back to this time.

In 1974, the Cali Transportation Center was finally completed. This work, besides being fundamental in a city-size city, brought benefits such as the organization of what was a chaotic automotive traffic that made it difficult to transit through the city center.

During the 1970s and 1990s, the city entered, like other regions of the country, one of the darkest chapters in Colombian history: the mafia war that held Cali as the center of one of the main groups: Cali's sign. The city was literally at odds with the other group: Medellín's cartel, which has damaged the image and development of both cities. The organization's war against the Medellin cartel brought selective violence and terrorist attacks on the city's streets. Like Medellin, the city entered a period of crisis when the poster was fought and dismantled by the police and the central government.

Recent History

Urban growth (more than two million people) that has put the city in third place after the country's capital and Medellin. Cali is considered the World Salsa Capital. The city advanced a futuristic infrastructure for this new century and in turn hosted the IX World Games that took place from July 27 to August 4, 2013. Cali was the first Latin American city to host the games. ​ ​ ​

Cali was declared a Special, Sports, Cultural, Tourism, Business and Services District of Santiago de Cali with the entry into force of Law 1933 of August 1, 2018. ​

Urban Renovation Project in Central Cali

For more than a decade, with the first administration of mayor Jorge Iván Ospina, the process of urban renewal "Ciudad Paraiso" is taking place, in which 23.16 hectares of the center of Cali are involved and corresponds to the total demolition of the Calvario, San Pascual and Sucre neighborhoods. The new area will create new business and service areas (10 blocks) and housing (10 blocks). ​

Cali Tram

Since 2019, the city has been conducting three-phase prefeasibility studies costing $2.5 million, the first being planning, which was to determine which type of transport is most appropriate. The second and third phases of the project, which have to do with infrastructure, and the funding costs will have to be delivered by December 2019. This project proposes that in the urban section of Cali the civil service system as a tram and in the interurban section will operate as a train and connect Cali with Jamundí, Yumbo and Palmmira by 2025 ​ ​.

Transfer of the Marco Fidel Suárez Military Aviation School out of Cali

Since 2012, it has been proposed by the Mayor of Cali that the air base of Escuela Militar de Aviación Marco Fidel Suárez be moved; because it is stagnating the development of the city by restricting the erection of buildings above 12 meters in height, over the area of influence of the airfield of Air Base covering 62% of Cali, as it could affect the work of the Air Combat Command (Cacom) No.7 operating inside the Military School. ​ ​

...People are leaving for Jamundí, for Candelaria and in Cali we have neighborhoods like the Pilot, San Pascual, San Nicolás and Ciudad Paraiso, where we must make large buildings that have good public services, where they have places of work, where they have to move less and where they have more public space (...) No investor comes to buy land in the center of Cali to make social housing that is not at a certain height," Cali Mayor Maurice Armitage said in August 2019. ​

Demographic evolution of Cali since 1809 ​

Source:DANE ​

Cali does not escape the Colombian trend of growth in urban areas to the detriment of the rural population, so much so that the city (and its metropolitan area) doubled its share in the local and local population, today more than 60% of the population of Valle del Cauca lives in Cali and its metropolitan area. See table for details.

In terms of population distribution, Cali is a city inhabited by young people according to DANE statistics. The bulk of the population is under 40 years of age. There is also a higher population of women in almost all age ranges, except for the younger population, and the average age of women is higher than that of men.

A prominent aspect of Cali demographics, and in general of the Colombian West, is the high percentage of Afro-Colombian population, approximately 26%, ​ what makes Cali one of the most black Latin American cities. The Afro-Colombian influence in Cali culture is evident in the musical aspects; ​ for example, the city is recognized for its salsa music orchestras.

Ethnography

According to the figures presented by the DANE in the 2005 census, the ethnic composition of the then ​ municipality was:

• White & mestizo (73,3 %)
• Afro-Colombian, Afro-descendant, black, mulate, Raizal, Palenquero (26,2 %)
• Indigenous (0,5 %)

However, these figures have been questioned for years, ​ even by the same local authorities. ​ There are allegations of manipulation of the figures to favor economic interests ​ or merely racial discrimination, ​ despite the impact of people of African descent throughout the city. ​ The Mayor has recognized this reality by creating an Ethnic and Afro-​ Affairs Advisory and has long planned a specific public policy. ​・Public demonstrations they are multiple, but the Pacific Music Festival Petronio Álvarez stands out, along with other festivals such as the San Pachito festivals,・the Contest of Afro Hairdresses, and international events, such as the World Summit of African Mayors and Mandatarians.

Indigenous communities suffer more complex discrimination, but they have also been organized in the form of lobbies. ​ ​ Inti Raymi, more a ritual than a festival, is probably their most visible manifestation. ​

Birth and mortality

According to the annual statistics of the Municipal Secretary of Public Health (2005) ​ the city's crude birth rate (TBN) is 20.2 newborns per 1,000 inhabitants, slightly lower than the country's (22.0) and the world average (21.0). In terms of statistics per woman, the overall fertility rate (GFR) is 1.9 children per woman, which is low compared to the country average (2.6). The TGF is very sensitive to the socio-economic status of the mother: in the low social stratum, the average value is given (2.1), in the middle is 1.9 and in the upper stratum it is only 1.2. In terms of the marital status of Calenic mothers: 58% live in free union with their partner, 23% are married and 17% are single mothers.

As for child mortality, the city has a child mortality rate of 12 per 1,000 live births, well below the country average (26) and even below the world average (54). The MIT has been in decline since the 1970s when it exceeded 50 deaths per 1,000 births.

Callians have 71.9 years of life expectancy at birth, much like the national average (72.0) and five years more than the world average. The crude mortality rate (CDR.) is 6.5 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants, higher than that of Colombia (5.0), and shows an increase by more than one point compared to the 1980s average. 20% of these deaths are violent: homicides, suicides or accidents involving motorized vehicles.

Citizen Security

Cali is the city of Colombia with the highest number of homicides. Between 1988 and 2013, nearly 5,000 people (sex workers, suspected criminals or young people from popular areas) have been killed. According to a report by the National Center for Historical Memory, 77 percent of homicides are attributable to ‘ social cleanup groups, 18 percent to far-right paramilitary groups, and 5 percent do not identify themselves ​

In 2008 the homicide rate was 66 per 100,000 ​ inhabitants and in 2010 it was 80 per 100,000 inhabitants, this figure was reduced in 2011 to 77 per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure very similar to that of the population Medellin of the same year (70 per 100,000 inhabitants) but far from Bogotá, the country's capital, which was 21.5 per 100,000 inhabitants ​

In 2012, there was a 5% decrease in violent deaths, which is equivalent to 70 fewer cases, compared to the same period last year; 294 persons less injured, which means a reduction of 8 % compared to the previous year; 323 fewer car thefts, i.e. a 21 % decrease from the same period in 2011; 152 fewer house robberies, which means a 17 % reduction compared to the same period in 2011. In addition to the technological strengthening with the installation of 254 security cameras throughout the city. The system allows a coverage of 30 percent of the city. It is estimated that the city will have 500 security cameras in 2013. ​

In 2014, the city had a reduction in homicides, the murder rate was 56 per 100,000 inhabitants. ​

Poverty level

The city has been showing a gradual reduction in its poverty indicators. According to the DANE in 2010, poverty in the Metropolitan Area of Cali was 26.1%, and in 2011 it fell to 25.1%. ​ in 2008 the poverty rate in Cali was 30.1%. Factors such as increased coverage and quality of public services, higher levels of health and education subsidies, among others, have contributed to this improvement. ​

According to the Consultancy for Human Rights, Codhes, in the period 1999-2005 more than 55,000 people arrived in Cali as a result of displacements, of which almost 20,000 arrived in 2005 alone. ​ the majority of this displaced population is located in the southeastern city of the district of Aguablanca, and the hillside areas.

Municipal Administrative Center (CAM), headquarters of the mayor's office.

General government

The secretariats are administrative units whose main objective is the provision of services to the Community or the Central Administration. Administrative Departments are technical units.

• Administrative Departments: Department of Municipal Planning, Finance, Management and Environment.
• Secretaries of the Social Sector: Education, Public Health, Economic Development, Social Welfare, Social Housing, Culture and Tourism.
• Secretaries of the Collective Sector: Government Coexistence and Security, Sport and Recreation.
• Secretaries of the Physical Sector: Infrastructure and Valorization, Transit and Transport
• Addressed Addresses: Legal, Administrative Development, Disciplinary Control and Internal Control.
• Decentralized entities: Municipal Companies of Cali EMCALI, EMSIRVA, Metrocali, CaliSalud, Specialized Financial Fund, Corfecali and EMRU.
• The Council of Cali: is a People's Administrative Corporation, composed of 21 mayors of different political tendencies, democratically elected for a four-year term, ​ ​ and whose functioning is guided by the democratic participation of the community. The council is the city's legislative entity that issues binding agreements in its territorial jurisdiction. Its functions include approving mayors' projects, ensuring the preservation and defense of cultural heritage, issuing the organizational rules of the budget and issuing the annual budget of income and expenditure.

Mayor

Cali is governed by a democratic system based on the processes of administrative decentralization generated since the proclamation of the Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991. The city is governed by a mayor (executive power) and a municipal council (legislative power).

The Mayor of Cali is the head of government and the municipal administration, legally, judicially and extra-judicially representing the municipality. It is a position elected by popular vote for a four-year term. ​Its main functions include the administration of the municipality's own resources, ensuring the well-being and interests of its fellow citizens and representing them before the National Government, as well as promoting local policies to improve their quality of life, such as health programs, housing, education and road infrastructure and maintaining public order.

As control agencies are the Comptroller and Personality.

The Mayor of Cali is administratively divided into two major groups: Central government and decentralized entities. Central Government means all entities that report directly to the Mayor. These entities are referred to as secretariats or administrative departments.

Decree 0516 of 2016 approves municipal administrative reform of Santiago de Cali. ​

The urban area of the city is divided into 22 communes, which in turn are divided into neighborhoods and urbanizations. There are 249 approved neighborhoods and 91 housing developments throughout the city. According to the public administration, there are 509,987 houses and apartments. The distribution of social classes is counted on apple sides per stratum, and by the end of 2005 it was: ​ low-low 20.20%, low 31.92%, medium-low 32.45%, medium-high 7.61% and high 1.10%.

The rural area is divided into 15 municipalities, which in turn are divided into sidewalks. The rural area stretches 43,717.75 ha, with 36,621 people living in it, according to populations projected by the Administrative Department of Municipal Planning (DAPM). ​ each commune and county has a Local Administrative Board - JAL - composed of no less than five or more members, elected by popular vote for a four-year term that will coincide with the period of the Municipal Council. ​ ​

Panoramic - Cali - Valle del Cauca - Colombia - 2019

Cali together with Valle del Cauca is the third economic center of Colombia being a point of national and international economic exchange. The city is a must-pass from/to the south of the country, and with the border with Ecuador, and is connected with the world through the seaport of Buenaventura.

The DANE does not establish the gross domestic product (GDP) per city, according to estimates by the Santiago de Cali administration, (in its Cali report in figures 2011), the city had an average share of the nation's GDP of 5.8% and an average share of the GDP of the Valle del Cauca of 52.3% in the period 2000-207. he estimates that the city's GDP reached $31,509 in 2012. ​

The department contributes significantly to the national economy. According to 2005 DANE statistics, agricultural production in the Valley contributes 5.37% of the national production, which is relatively low compared to Antioquia (15.48%) or Cundinamarca (12.81%). In fishery products, the Vallecaucana region is the first to contribute 36% of the country's total production. As for non-metallic minerals, the department contributes 8.15% of the value added of the whole of Colombia.

The local industry contributes 13.81% of the national value added, surpassed only by Bogotá with 25.39% and Antioquia with 18.20%. In particular, the food, beverage and tobacco industries are important aspects of the Valle economy, contributing 16% of the national value added, equaled by Antioquia and only surpassed by Bogotá. In terms of trade, Bogotá has 32.22 per cent at the national level, Antioquia 13.25 per cent and the Valley 11.34 per cent. In transport services the Valley has 12.52% of the national value added.

Cali's consumer price index has been one of the lowest among Colombian cities since the last decade. Nearly 78% of Callians are of working age (over 18 years). In 2005, for the first time in six years, the city had an employment rate above 60%, confirming the good state of the economy, led mainly by growth in manufacturing, agriculture, and trade, among others.

Economic sectors

Industry

The industrial zone of Cali is located mainly in the northern part of the city between Cali-Yumbo, the area has more than 2,000 large companies, including Cement Argos, Bavaria, Postobon, Propal, Goodyear, Colgate-Palmolive, Cervecería del Valle, among others. ​

Trade

Most of the city's shopping centers are built like urban boulevards with open-air corridors. They are almost always equipped with cinemas, restaurants, supermarket supermarkets and boutiques. The most traditional malls are Unicentro in the south of the city and Chipichape in the north, both built in the open-air style. Other popular shopping malls include Palmetto Plaza, Plaza Garden, Cosmocentro, Limonar Premier, Train Station, Río Cauca, Acuarela,Unique Outlet. Smaller malls in the city are Centenario, Aventura Plaza, Centro Sur, Pacific Mall,, la Pasarura (specialized in technology). There are also large supermarkets in Alkosto, Falabella, Homecenter, Success, Jumbo, 14, Metro, Pricesmart, Olímpica, Carulla, Ktronix,, Super, Merca, All Merca Cañaveral. There are dozens of small shopping malls scattered all over the city.

Public sector

The main contribution to the economy made by the public sector has been the construction of large infrastructure, such as the 21 Megaobras or the MIO, which have enabled commercial and industrial development. Unfortunately, these infrastructure have often proved inadequate, and their enlargements have often been delayed. ​ projects like the 21-megaartworks project have been carried out with transfers from wealthier communities and the middle class of the city, favoring the most economically stagnant communities. ​ ​

Financial institutions

Important entities include: Bancolombia, Banco Colpatria, Banco de Bogotá, Davivienda, Banco de Occidente, Banco WWB, Banco AV Villas, Banco Caja Social, Banco BBVA, Banco Popular, Banco Agrario de Colombia, Bancamía and Banco Itaú.

Suricata at the Cali Zoo.

Indigenous of the calima culture with his gold garb at the Calima Gold Museum, located in the historic center of Cali.

There is a wide variety of nightclubs, restaurants and shopping centers throughout the city. Whole neighborhoods dedicated to tourism can be found in the city, for example Granada, one of the most traditional neighborhoods of Cali, with several gourmet restaurants, fashion shops and boutiques, located in the west of the city. Another place to visit is La Sixth or Avenida Sixth, and Menga which has become the most popular dance area. There are many types of nightclubs there, as well as restaurants and hotels. This area is often called a "pink zone" and is located in the north very close to the Chipichape shopping center. In recent years, the restaurant industry in Cali has grown to be a first-class choice of restaurants.

Main attraction centers:

• Cali Zoo: considered one of the three best in Latin America, the zoo is home to more than two thousand animals on its eleven hectares. ​ it is located on the Cali River, just where the mountains and the valley meet. The Cali Botanical Garden, founded by Jorge Enrique Orejuela, is just a stone's throw away.
• Calima Gold Museum: it is an archeological museum dedicated to calima culture located in the historic center of Santiago de Cali where there are more than 615 pieces in gold. ​
• San Joaquín Avenue: located south of the city in the district of Ciudad Jardín is an exclusive area of the city for eating or shopping.
• Race 66: it is located in the south of the city and in recent years has become a new pink area with several restaurants, bars and clubs.
• Dog Park: located in the San Fernando district, it is located in one of the most popular areas of the city, with several restaurants and bars. It's a party place and restaurants. The park is named after him because it contains the sculpture of a dog.
• El Gato del Río: it is located next to the Cali River in the west. It is named after the sculptor Tejada of Caleño origin.
• Cali River: one of the most peaceful areas of the city, the river is located in the west and is surrounded by restaurants, hotels and museums such as "La Tertulia", an art museum.
• San Antonio: it is the oldest district in Cali. Although it was separated by Fifth Street, it still retains its traditional aura. The whole neighborhood is on a hill, and on the top is San Antonio Park. There are also some restaurants in the area. Nearby you will find the Loma de la Cruz Artisanal Park, where you will find a variety of traditional crafts from the region.
• Rock: it is currently one of the pink areas for eating, shopping or dancing.
• Menga: located north of Santiago de Cali, it is one of the most representative places of the party in the city, where you can find all the rhythms at the same time, it is also a platform to see the best artists in action, very comfortable facilities, club atmosphere, the latest sound technology and robotic lights, the best rumba crossover.
• Juanchito: it is a place with a large number of clubs dedicated to salsa music, next to some of the poorest parts of the city. Politically it belongs to the municipality of Candelaria. It is said that if Cali is the capital of salsa, Juanchito is the temple that loves his cult. To get there, the Caleños have to cross a bridge over the Cauca River mentioned in the song by Grupo Niche, "Del Ponte para allá."
• Kilometer 18, Via the Sea: located on the edge of Cali on the waterway to Buenaventura, it is a mountainous region of approximately 2500 meters above sea level with a preeminent temperate climate, where you can find restaurants with local gastronomy, relaxation and recreation grounds.
• Farallons of Cali: the Farallones de Cali are a national park. In recent years there has been a rise as a tourist destination for a wide range of different people; adventurers of climbing, walking, paragliding, naturalists and those seeking rest and a mild climate.
• Christ the King the statue of Christ the King is a religious monument located in the cerro los Cristales that offers the best view of the city. The statue is 31 m tall, of which 5 m belong to the base. On the road to the monument you can find different Italian pizza restaurants with a view of the city.
• Three Crosses Hill: it has its own legend and history. In recent decades, it has become a meeting point for athletes who climb and down the hill. Easter Easter counts Catholic pilgrims from Cali and foreign countries who are raising their promises.
• Sebastián Monument of Belalcázar: it is the most visited and popular monument in the city located in the hills overlooking the city, west of the city. The monument is famous for its finger pointing out that it is the point in the opposite direction of the valley, while its face is looking down at the city.

Health

The provision of services is given by 896 IPS: of which private are 86.8%, ambulatory 95% and low complexity 75%. The geographical distribution of the services offer shows a concentration of clinics, both ambulatory and hospitalization services, in communes 2, 17, and 19. There are 14 hospitals, 5 first level, 75 health posts, 23 health centers, and eight basic care centers. ​

Tourism in health

According to Lonely Planet, Cali has recently become known as a prime destination for people seeking cosmetic surgeries and low-cost dental treatments compared to their home countries. ​ City surgeons are famous, and in Colombia, as one of the most beautiful women in the country. There have been no reports of significant problems in this area, but Lonely Planet advises the proper investigation before continuing with that idea. About 50,000 (2010) cosmetic surgery procedures are performed in the city every year, of which about 14,000 patients come from abroad, the city has many specialized clinics in various areas of medicine and dentistry, the latter is also much sought after by tourists for its high quality of dental treatments. ​

Education

Educational level of the population

Cali's total illiteracy rate is 6 per cent, which is high compared to the average of the country's major cities (4.9 per cent). ​ another basic indicator is the average of years of education, which in Cali is 6.5 for women and 7.0 for men, higher than the country average (4.9).

As for the educational level of the population, according to measurements from the DANE (Census 2005) of a total of 1 959 962 people over the age of 3, the distribution of the population by educational level can be seen in the table. Interestingly, the number of professionals is higher than the number of technicians, which perhaps indicates that professionals in the region have jobs for which they are over-qualified and do not merit preparation for five or more years.

Basic and Secondary

The vast majority of schools and colleges follow calendar B starting classes in August and ending in June of the following year and including (approximately) a month of recess between December and January. According to the Ministry of Municipal Education (SEM) in 2006, the coverage rate for minors in the 3-17 age group was 80% (2006) and 86% in the 5-17 age range. ​ This indicates that a significant part of children do not receive or start early school education. As for school dropout, 3.34 per cent of the total number of students enrolled (2007) do not complete their studies, ​ this percentage is higher in private institutions (4.10 per cent) than in official institutions (2.83 per cent).

The network of public schools and colleges of basic education and high school (secondary) depends on the SEM. Among the most prominent public education institutions are: Santa Librada College, La Normal Superior Farallones de Cali (NSFC), La Normal Superios Santiago de Cali, Antonio José Camacho Industrial Technical Institute and Pedro Antonio Molina Industrial Technical Institution (IETIPAM). There is also a wide range of private educational establishments, including the schools Lacoraire, Freinet, Benett, San Antonio María Claret, British, Andean English, German, French Lyceum, Lauretta Bender, Franciscans de Pio XII, Colegio Americano, Liceo Benalcázar, Colegio Bolívar and the Technical Industrial Institute San Juan Bosco.

In terms of the quality of education, the best indicator is the results of ICFES state exams conducted at the end of secondary school, on which universities are usually based on their admission processes. From 2003 to 2006, high school graduates improved their performance in these tests, but in 2007 there was a sharp increase in the results considered low (from 28% to 44%).

Institutions of Higher Education

Officers

Faculty of Health of the University of Valle.

• Universidad del Valle (Univalle). Public institution founded in 1945; It meets a demand of 29,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students (8,000 in the regional headquarters), ​ at Cali 20,800 are undergraduate and 2,380 are postgraduate and doctoral students. ​ Its main campus, the University City of Meléndez, with an area of 1,000,000 of square meters, it is the second largest university campus in the country, after that which corresponds to the main headquarters of the National University in Bogotá. It is the main academic and research center of southwestern Colombia. It has the largest library in the region with 628,569 copies (307,514 books). ​
• National School of Sport Founded in 1984, is a university institution offering professional, postgraduate and technological studies in the areas of sport and physical activity, physiotherapy, management of sport and occupational therapy, in addition to being the only one in the country that gives the student a mandatory choice of sports emphasis in the career of Sport and Physical Activity, with options in Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Swimming, Weightlifting, and other sports disciplines.
• Marco Fidel Suárez Military Aviation School: An entity attached to the Colombian Air Force, trains officers in aviation and military defense races.
• Departmental Institute of Fine Arts offers professional programs in graphic design, Plastic Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Theatrical Art. It is also the home of the Departmental Band and the well-known Sala Beethoven.
• Antonio José Camacho UNIAJC University Institution The institution was founded by Don Tulio Ramírez, who was also the rector of the Antonio José Camacho Industrial Technical Institute, created in 1933. At this time he conceived the idea of creating the Industrial University of the West, in order to train personnel for the sugar and metallurgical industry of the region, and to take advantage of the teachers and infrastructure of the workshops this Institute for its formation. The University of Valle was born in this way. 25 years later, Don Tulio Ramírez himself conceived that due to the advancement and progress of technology, another institution was required between the technical high school offered by the Institute and the university training offered by the Universidad del Valle. He offered that the advice and experience of the university and the same technical baccalaureate could be used for his training. This is how the School of Technology in Electronics was born in 1969.
• National Learning Service (SENA). Public technological institution. SENA is invaluable in regional and national development by training the technicians and technologists needed by the industry.

Private

Santiago de Cali University, Square of the Wise.

Icesi University, in the background you see the Cali Farallons.

Pontifical Javeriana University.

• Santiago de Cali University. Founded in 1958, it is known to be the first law school in the region, a private institution offering undergraduate programs, degrees, technologies, specializations and masters. It stands out in the teaching of the area of law, where large lawyers emerge at the national and international level, in addition to the area of Administration, Accounting (in its Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences) and the various Bachelors (Faculty of Education). It has two headquarters in Cali and one Sectional in Palmyra. By the end of 2016, its Library, Santiago Cadena Copete, has 68,000 copies of books, as well as access to 92 Databases for students in different disciplines. Its main campus, located south of the city, in the Pampalinda neighborhood, in Comuna 19, the Pampalinda University Citadel has 8 Blocks, where academic services are distributed for the university community and the general public, such as the faculties, departments, auditoriums and lounges ​ while its headquarters, where its Legal Office, the largest of the city, and its Outreach and Projection offices.

• Icesi University. Founded in 1979, it is a private institution offering undergraduate programs, specializations and master's degrees. It currently has a student population of approximately 5,700 students, 4,800 of whom are undergraduate and 900 postgraduate. ​ By the end of 2013, the library has 57,938 copies of books, as well as 727 subscriptions to national and international print magazines. ​
• Pontifical Javeriana University. The Cali section was founded in 1970 and is a private institution with 5,200 undergraduate and more than 450 postgraduate students. It has four faculties: Faculty of Engineering, Economic and Administrative Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences and the newly created Faculty of Health Sciences. ​ has a library with more than 36,000 printed volumes. ​
• University of San Buenaventura. The headquarters in Cali was founded in 1970, a private institution with 5,000 undergraduate and 350 postgraduate students, specializations and masters. It has a library with more than 42,000 copies of which more than 34,000 are books.
• Autonomous University of the West. Founded in 1970, this private institution serves more than 7,800 undergraduate students and more than 250 postgraduate students, among specializations and masters. ​ its library houses more than 20,000 printed books and more than 50,000 digital books.

Autonomous University of the West.

• Free University. A private institution, its headquarters in the city was founded in 1973. It has faculties such as the Engineering Institution; Law; Political and Social Sciences; Health Sciences; Economic, Administrative and Accounting Sciences, and Education Programs.
• Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia The Cali headquarters was founded in the 1970s and is an institution of higher education, socially owned, that by its origin and organization belongs to the Solidarity Economy sector. It offers 8 undergraduate programs in daytime or night time. According to his management reports, he had 2,437 students by the second half of 2006. ​
• Lumen G(UNICATÓLICA) Catholic University Foundation is an academic institution of private and Catholic higher education based in the city of Cali, Colombia. It was founded in 1996. The idea of the creation of a university was born by Archbishop Isaías Duarte Cancino, who saw how many high school graduates had no way to enter higher education and the unemployment rate grew in the city. The archbishop sought to create an affordable institution for the people's strata.
• Fundación Universitaria San Martín. In 1981, the Fundación Universitaria San Martín was born. Initiated in the area of Health Sciences with the Faculty of Dentistry, today it has 13 faculties from various disciplines in the areas of Administrative and Related Sciences, Engineering and Social Sciences. In 1998, the Open and Distance Faculty opened.
• Antonio Nariño University. Antonio Nariño University (UAN) was born on March 7, 1976 at the former premises of the School of Medicine of the Javeriana University, located on 20 Sur Street No. 13 -61 of the city of Bogotá. It has been operating in the city of Cali for more than 15 years and has been offering both in-person and distance benefits. ​

Research

The city has an important share in the number of scientific publications produced by Colombian academic and research entities. According to the databases of the Institute for Scientific Information, in the period 1990-2005 the Caleñas institutions published a total of 2 154 articles, being Cali the second center of scientific production by number of publications in the country. ​

The Universidad del Valle is the main scientific and technological research body in southwestern Colombia and one of the main at the national level. At the university, research of relevance to the region is carried out in groups and units such as CINARA ​ in water resources and OSSO ​ in seismology of southwestern Colombia.

There is also research in immunology, ​ new materials, ​ ​ thin films, ​ and synthesis of ​ chemical compounds, among many others.

He is followed by the research centers of Santiago de Cali University, with its 40 groups categorized by COLCIENCIAS, stands out in the Research of Basic Environmental Sciences and Technological Development (CICBA), Regional Development (CEIDER), Pedagogy, Quality and Education (CIPESA).

On the way to Palmyra is the International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, ​ one of the most productive and important research centers in the country.

Public Services

Energy

The Municipal Companies of Cali, EMCALI, respond to the demand for public services in the city and much of its metropolitan area. EMCALI owns the distribution infrastructure and jointly with EPSA, they own the 18 power substations connected to the national electricity grid.

Aqueduct and sewerage

EMCALI is also responsible for the water and sewerage service. The distribution is divided into high and low network areas. The high network is supplied by gravity, the low network needs a pumping system. There are four drinking water treatment plants:

• Cali River: it supplies the Cali River. It has a production capacity of 1.80 m³/s, supplies drinking water to 420,000 consumers in the old part of the city.
• The Reform: it supplies the Meléndez River. With a flow of 1 m³/s, it supplies 120,000 users in the city's hillside area.
• Rio Cauca: it supplies the Cauca River. It has a capacity of 2.5 m³/s.
• Puerto Mallarino: it is supplied by the Cauca River and has a flow rate of 6.6 m³/s.

Wastewater from the city of Cañaveralejo (PTAR-C) is collected by means of collectors' pipes. In PTAR-C these waters are treated before being returned to the Cauca River. PTAR-C manages an average flow rate of 7.6 m³/s, allowing 70% of the wastewater in Cali to be treated.

Telecommunications

EMCALI is the leading telephone service company with 85% local market. Telephone exchanges and transmission equipment are connected by an extensive fiber optic network. In 2007, the company had approximately 510,000 users. Other companies in the public telephony market are UNITEL, of course Fixed Solutions, Movistar Fixed Solutions, and ERT. The city has a layout of 115,400 lines.

There are three mobile phone operators, all with national coverage and GSM technology and 3G WCDMA, Claro Mobile (Mobile American) Band: 850Mhz and 1900Mhz; Movistar (from Telefónica) Band: 850MHz and 1900MHz, and Tigo (ETB, EPM Telecommunications and Millicom International of Luxembourg) Band: 1900MHz NGN.

Toilet and garbage

The city produces 1800-2000 tons/day of sanitary waste. The garbage and rubble collection service is the task of PROMOBIENTAL private company. The Navarro landfill was the site of solid waste disposal in the local municipalities of Cali, Yumbo, Jamundí and Candelaria. It is located on an old (wetland or woody) channel of the Cauca River in the town of Navarro in the rural area of Cali. The garbage dump has been in service since 1967 and was finally sealed in 2008. It was replaced by the Yotoco garbage dump which will have a lifetime of 31 years and benefits 4,716,147 people, handle 44,000 tons of garbage a month. ​

Natural gas

The city has a distribution network with two main axes: south-north along the Far Corridor and east-west below the South-East Highway. With a capacity of 130 million cubic feet a day, natural gas service is guaranteed in the 22 communes of the city. This network is powered by a pipeline that comes from Yumbo to the north of the city.

Transport

SITM-MIO Troncal Map.

Western Integrated Mass (MIO) Station.

MIO Bus.

"MIO Cable".

Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali.

In 2009, the Western Integrated Mass (MIO), a massive transportation system, was inaugurated. On October 1, 2012, 520 buses left the city, ​ to date 3,342 buses have been taken from the traditional bus. This means that another 1,150 are still missing, which will have to be released by June 2013. ​ In recent years the city has replaced its old transportation system with the mass transportation system MIO, which in 2012 covered 98% of the city. Cali's mass transport system carries about 450,000 and 500,000 thousand passengers a day (2013). ​ The MIO Cable, a suspended air cable transport system connecting the MIO's Cañaveralejo terminal to the popular sector of Siloé, was inaugurated in 2015. located in the southwestern part of the city, in the slope area of the Western Cordillera, as it passes through Cali.

Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport (CLO). It connects Cali with the country and abroad, through various domestic and foreign airlines. Among the national destinations are the main cities of the country with service provided by Copa Airlines Colombia, Avianca, Viva Colombia, Satena and TAC. Internationally there are routes between Cali and Miami (American Airlines), Guayaquil (Avianca Perú), Lima (Avianca Perú) San Salvador (Avianca) Miami, New York (Avianca), Madrid (Avianca) and Iberia Panama (Copa Airlines Colombia), Amsterdam (KLM Royal Dutch Airlines), Esmeraldas (TAME) and Quito (LAN Perú). The size of the runway at Bonilla Aragon airport, 3 000 m long by 45 m wide, allows the landing of maximum capacity airplanes. It annually moves more than 4 million passengers and 39 923 tons of cargo on almost 60,000 flights (2012). In the north-east of the city is the Marco Fidel Suárez Air Base, which belongs to the Colombian Air Force. In 2016, the construction of a new terminal adjacent to the existing one was started, which was inaugurated in June 2017, where the new international pier operates.

In the city, there is an overflow of taxis that congest the main avenues at critical times and has been partially resolved with the application of the so-called Pico and Placa. It is calculated according to data from STTM and DANE, that there are 10 taxis for each public transport driver. On the city's environmental issues, the use of 10% ethanol in gasoline has helped to reduce some of the air pollution. The Ministry of Transit and Municipal Transportation (STTM) ​ is responsible for registering vehicles in the city. According to this entity, in 2004, 357,927 vehicles were driving in the streets of Cali. As is usual in developing countries, motorcycles are a very popular means of transport and in the city there are almost 70,000 cars. As for private vehicles, there are more than 240,000 drivers.

Cali usually has a good road mesh. With the initiative of Megaobra, the city has built new road infrastructure such as public spaces and bridges as well as the Mundialist Tunnel, which is currently the largest urban tunnel in Colombia with almost a kilometer and which has helped a lot to cut the route in the south-north direction passing through the center.

Architecture

Valle del Cauca was historically an area dedicated to pastoral and agricultural hacienda. For this reason, the region did not have such a beautiful, artistic and European-influenced architectural development as that of the city of Popayán, and rather it was built in a simple, authentic and popular way.

The Hermitage.

La Merced religious complex.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Cali.

Monument to Christ the King. Statue built in Los Cristales Hill. From there you can see the whole city of Cali.

16th Century

The instability of frequent attacks by indigenous people prevented the establishment of large populations and thus delayed the architectural development of the region. Most of the buildings in the 16th century were provisional in nature, with the exception of the parent church of San Pedro which had a stone of a masonry and the archway of a brick (it should be noted that only historical references are to be found in this parent church). ​ another construction of the time is the Church of the Merced, where according to accounts the first mass of the nascent city was celebrated in 1541 ​ The Church. from the 16th century Merced was a pajiza building, very different from the current one found in the center of the city. ​

17th century

From this period date back to the convents of Santo Domingo (missing) and San Agustín, the Old Hermitage (missing) and the church of Santa Rosa de Lima, there was also the reconstruction of the parent church of San Pedro in this century. ​ The Old Hermitage was dedicated to Our Lady of Solitude and the Lord of the River, although it is known for a painting of Farfán that was not a building of a great architectural value, it was characterized by its simplicity. ​ ​

18th century

Two architectural gems of Cali date from this century: the Chapel of San Antonio and the religious complex of San Francisco with its beautiful Mudéjar tower 23 meters high. ​ also of this century is the beautiful and evocative Hacienda Cañasgordas, immortalized in the novel El alférez Real de Eustaquio Palacios. ​

19th century

The buildings of this time are of a neo-classical style, in contrast to the previous constructions that followed the baroque style. ​ Although it was built in 1722 under baroque canons, the St. Peter's Cathedral was finished only in 1841 and as a neoclassical church. It has undergone several reconstructions due to earthquakes and its current façade dates back to 1930. Inside, it features 18th century religious works of art. ​ ​

20th century

Hotel Torre de Cali, the tallest building in the city.

The Municipal Theater of Cali is a real architectural gem of the city, built between 1922 and 1927 in the style of classic Creole (based on the European neo-classical) and declared a national monument in 2002. ​

Otero Building was another representative building from the beginning of the century (inaugurated in 1926) and declared a national monument in 1977. ​

The church of Santa Rosa de Lima was finished in 1924, in the Spanish neo-Renaissance style and has two towers of 40 meters high. ​

The Jorge Isaacs Theater was inaugurated in 1931 in homage to the Vallecaucan writer of the same name, this construction of the French neo-classical style was declared a national monument in 1984 and reopened in 1989 after years of neglect. ​

The National Palace, in the middle of Cayzedo Square, was opened in 1933 in the same French neo-classical style and declared a national monument in 1977. ​ In 1942 it was built where the ancient Hermitage, a miniature Gothic style church called the Ermita, used to be.

For the second half of the century stands the Museum of Modern Art La Tertulia, whose founding building, designed by the firm Lago and Sáenz, was opened to the public in 1968. ​

Works of regional importance and of institutional and functional architecture are the Central of Transportation that was established in 1974 and the Tower of Cali 44 stories and 183 meters high terrace in 1980; ​ ​ In 1990, the headquarters of the Banco de la República was added as a modern element to the historic center of the city. The same year, a colorful brick element was added to the center of Cali with the construction of the FES (Cultural Center Santiago de Cali) building, Rogelio Salmona was part of the body of architects of this work that won the National Architecture Prize. ​

See also:List of skyscrapers in Cali

Parks and green areas

Accumulate of the Cane.

Loma de la Cruz Artisanal Park. In which you can find typical crafts of the city.

The green areas of the city amount to 10,914,985 m² in the 22 communes of the urban area, which gives an average of 5.33 m² per capita. ​

• Acuaparque de la Caña: it has several swimming pools, including a wave pool and other recreational activities.
• Ecopark of the Pance River: it is an eco-park located in the south of the city where you can take a walk for 5 kilometers through the forest and along the Pance River. In this place you can observe birds, swim in the waters of the Pance River and find different waterfalls.
• El Ingenio Park: it is a park dedicated to outdoor exercise. You can also find kiosks of fast food and typical regional foods such as cholado.
• Alameda Park: it is located in the district of alameda, where you can find restaurants of gastronomy of the Pacific region of Colombia. Nearby is the Galerie de Alameda, which is a market square with a great diversity in fruit and food.
• Dog Park: according to accounts, in the 1950s, the area where the park is today, was a recreation site for the old San Fernando neighborhood, the name comes in honor of a small dog named Teddy who was a mascot and playmate for visitors to the park. It is now an area of restaurants and meeting clubs.
• Loma de la Cruz Artisanal Park: it is one of the tourist attractions of the city and place where artisans can sell and exhibit their works.
• Airplane Park: in this park there is a plane sent by General Omar Torrijos to his friend Cuban journalist José Pardo Llada.
• La Flora Park: located in Barrio la Flora, one of the most traditional in the city, it is a recreational park with an athletic track and various exercise stations.

There are also parks: May 1st, Carvajal, Rock, Music, San Nicolás, María Isabel Urrutia, Longitudinal 72W Street, Ecopark Lake Garzas, Ecopark Bataclan, Ecopark Los Pizamos, Ecopark Rio Cauca, Ecoparque los Cisnes or la Babilla, Ecopark Lago Panamericano and others.

Television

Cali has several open-signal television channels, as in much of Colombian territory there are five national channels: the 2 private ones Caracol Televisión and RCN Televisión, and the 3 public ones Canal 1, Señal Institucional and Señal Colombia. The regional channel Teleppacific has been broadcasting since 1986. Subscribed television companies offer their own channels, community channels, as well as international signals.

Radio

As for radio, there are multiple AM and FM stations. As in almost all of Colombia, most of the stations are run by Caracol Radio, RCN Radio, Todelar, and RTVC. As cultural and varieties broadcasters, Clásica 88.5 of the Fundación Carvajal and the Univalle Estéreo (Universidad del Valle) and Javeriana Estéreo (of the Cali section of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) university stands out.

Press

In Cali and Valle del Cauca, the newspaper El País is circulating in print. There are other minor circulations such as El Caleño, Diario Occidental and El Pueblo; and national level like El Tiempo.

Monument to the Maceta, the monument symbolizes the traditional sugar and water-based sweet, which represents the link between godfather and godson and whose festivity is celebrated on June 29 throughout the city. ​ ​

The Rio Cat.

Sculptures The brides of the cat around the Cali River.

Salsodromo at the Cali Fair.

The city's cultural activity has flourished around such centers as the People's Institute of Culture, the Municipal Theater, the Museum of Modern Art la Tertulia, Beethoven Hall, the Departmental School of Theater, and the University of the Valley.

The Municipal Theater of Cali was inaugurated in 1927. It has been the great cultural center of Cali where important national and international artists have been featured for many years. With the assistance of Enrique Buenaventura, the Departmental School of Theater was created in 1955, Maestro Buenaventura was the first director of the Colombian Theater Center in 1957 and strongly promoted the creation of the Experimental Theater in Cali (TEC) in 1958.

The Museum of Modern Art la Tertulia opened in 1956 and has been the exhibition room of the work of great national and regional masters such as: Edgar Negret, Hernando Tejada, Lucy Tejada and Alejandro Obregón

Another important institution in the Valencian arts has been the Colombian Institute of Classical Ballet (Incolballet), which was created by the Teacher Gloria Castro in 1978.

Literature

Santiago de Cali has been home to and center of work of several important writers in the history of Colombia.

During the 19th century Jorge Isaacs was highlighted with the romantic novel Maria of 1867; Isaías Gamboa, poet and educator; and Eustaquio Palacios with his historical novel El alférez Real of 1886.

In the 20th century, the work of playwright and poet Enrique Buenaventura, novelist and chronicler Arturo Alape, Cali-based Cuban Alberto Dow, literary and cinema Andrés Caicedo, the storyteller Harold Kremer, Jotamario Arbeláez, novelist and essayist Fernando Cruz Kronfly, the journalist writer Umberto Valverde and poet Julián Malatesta.

Special mention deserves the work of Andrés Caicedo, however his novel May Music Live! and their collections of stories are characterized by the constant reference to the aesthetic values of Cali in the 1960s and 1970s, marked by growing urbanization, social agitation and youthful taste for salsa and rock.

Within the orbit of the popular novel and the folk genre, Hernán Hoyos was highlighted with an extensive production of erotic, police and humorous novels being Coca, a kind of pulp local story of drug trafficking, the most widespread.

Salsa Caleña

Dance performance at the 13th Cali International Art Festival

The sauce is not native to Colombia or Cali, but despite it the city has generated a cultural identity around this musical genre and its respective dance. ​

Gastronomy

Pandebono.

Lulada served with an empanada.

There is a variety of food in the city, with various foods that stand out, such as Sancocho de Gallina, Arroz Atollado. ​ The typical drink of Cali is shampoo and cholado. ​ desserts such as White Manjar, Pata Gelatines, Macetas del Valle and Aborrajos are available. In Cali you can find a varied gastronomic offer as in any other city of the world, as there is a wide variety of restaurants specialized in different gastronomic areas. ​ also as an aperitif you can enjoy the "antojitos" caleños like marranitas or puerquitas, fried banana and chicharrón dishes; empanadas; the peppers made of mature banana stuffed with cheese and sandwiches (sweet or jam guava).

The Panamericano Park is a traditional place to spend the afternoon on Sunday, where you can try some of the delights you'll find: cholados (strawberry hailstones with fresh fruit chunks covered with condensed milk), roasted corncobs and stucco arepas filled with cheese.

Cali has an excellent gastronomic offer in the north, south and west. Neighborhoods like Granada in the north attest to the wide variety of restaurants of Traditional Cuisine and High Kitchen, as well as numerous bars where the tourist and the city-dweller find the most demanding cocktails and a good excuse to go out and enjoy.

Libraries

Departmental Library Jorge Garcés Borrero.

In addition to the Cali Network of Community Public Libraries, there are a group of remarkable libraries:

• Centenary Library. Opened on July 20, 1910, it is the oldest and first public library in the city. It is located on Avenida Colombia, near the Museo la Tertulia, with 15 200 volumes.
• Departmental Library Jorge Garcés Borrero. It was originally the private library of businessman Jorge Garcés Borrero, open to the public in 1953 on Avenida Colombia. In 1954 it became a public library. Its current headquarters is close to the soccer stadium and Club Noel hospital. An Astronomical Observatory is also open to the public and its telescope is considered the largest in the country.
• Mario Carvajal Library. It is the central library of the Universidad del Valle at the Meléndez headquarters. It is the largest library in southwestern Colombia with 628,569 copies in its collection (307,514 books). ​

Museums

La Tertulia Museum.

Departmental Museum of Natural Sciences.

• Departmental Museum of Natural Sciences: it is located on Roosevelt Avenue # 24-80. Founded in 1963. Science and zoo museum.
• Archeological Museum La Merced: race 4 # 6-59. Pre-Hispanic ceramic samples from the societies that inhabited southern western colombia.
• Calima Gold Museum: seat of the Banco de la República (street 7 between races 4 and 5). It exhibits pieces in gold, pottery, made by the cultural Calima.
• Museo La Tertulia: shows more than 300 works by national and international artists.
• Archeological Museum Julio César Cubillos: shows archeological artifacts belonging to the pre-Hispanic period between the sixteenth century BC and the sixteenth century AD. It is located at the University of the Meléndez-House Valley.
• Caliwood Museum: it stands out for its emblematic collection of cinematographic, photographic and phonographic devices that preferentially show the evolution of the film and exhibition equipment used in Colombia, in the world, there are equipment and devices that maintained their character as analogs in the 1980s.
• San Francisco Religious and Colonial Museum: Street 9 # 5-59. It has been in operation since 1940 by the Franciscan community. It presents religious art as a priority.
• Carajo Museum: located in Felidia county of Cali, on the road to the sea, is the first joking museum in Colombia.
• National Transport Museum: located next to the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport and adjacent to the Palmaseca Franca Zone, the museum shows visitors old cars, planes, locomotives, philately, modeling among others.
• Museum of Religious Art: located in race 4 # 6-56. It deals with religious themes that are regularly presented at the Museum.

Theaters

Teatro Municipal Enrique Buenaventura.

Jorge Isaacs Theater.

• Teatro Municipal Enrique Buenaventura, is currently the city's biggest cultural venue. Opened in 1927, it has a capacity of 1,200 guests and is decorated in a French neo-classical style.
• Teatro Jorge Isaacs, has been one of the most traditional settings in the city, and can accommodate up to 1,187 spectators. It was built in 1931 by Herman Bohmer, in homage to Jorge Isaacs. Its architecture is influenced by Italian romanticism. It was recently restored and refurbished. Declared a national monument in 1984, it has one of the best acoustics in the country.
• Teatro Calima, it is B.I.C. and architectural heritage (Cali). It opened in 1963 and closed in 1999, with its reopening on July 6, 2017.
• Los Cristales outdoor theater, offers a varied program all year round. It has an area of 3,920 square meters, corresponding to the architectural construction of the Open Air Theater, and has a capacity of 15,000 people.
• Imaginary Theater, the Imaginary Theater was founded in 1986 by Danilo Tenorio.
• Teatro Esquina Latina, founded in 1973 in Cali, originated at the Universidad del Valle.
• Cali Teatro, founded in 1989 and from that time, has produced works by classic, modern and national authors.
• Teatro Casa de Los Títeres, founded by Leonor Amélia Pérez, director general and Gerardo Potes, artistic director in 1998, is an essential part of the cultural development of Valle del Cauca. Groups from all over the world (Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Turkey, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, among others) have appeared in the puppet room, and more than 80,000 people have had fun with the puppet adventures at La Casa de los Títeres (The House of Puppets).
• Teatro El Telón was a space built in 2000 by the theater group in order to generate technical conditions for its montages and offer the city another space to witness theatrical functions and conferences related to artistic work.
• Teatro la Máscara, a non-profit cultural entity, formed in 1972, dedicated to the research and creation of theater shows.
• Experimental Theater in Cali, was created in 1955, at the Departmental School of Theater in Cali, Department of Valle del Cauca in Colombia.

Convention Center

Valle del Pacífico Events Center. It is located on the Cali-Yumbo highway.

The Valle del Pacífico Events Center is the second largest and most modern multi-format space in Colombia and the first in the Latin American Pacific. It is located in the Department of Valle del Cauca, on the Cali - Yumbo Highway, 10 minutes from Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport. It has a total area of 110,000 square meters and can accommodate from 50 to 11,000 people in one place. ​

Cultural Centers

• Proarte House. Since 1871 Casa Proarte has had a great influence on the cultural life of Cali. The building was renovated in 1991 and includes exhibition halls, stages and a movie theater.
• Cultural Center of Cali. Since 1997 it has been the cultural center of the city and the headquarters of the Municipal Secretaries of Tourism and Culture.
• Comfandi Santa Rosa Cultural Center. Located in the heart of the city, it belongs to the Family Compensation Fund of the same name. This center has five floors divided into, Children's and Youth Library, Adult Library, two art exhibitions rooms, multiple function rooms and an auditorium.
• Tecnocentro Cultural Sómos Pacifica located in the Potrero Grande neighborhood in the District of Aguablanca.

Cali Parade during the 2014 Cali Fair.

Petronio Álvarez, a Pacific Music Festival, takes place every year in August at the Plaza de Toros Cañaveralejo bullring.

Los Cristales Theater during the 2016 Rock Cali Cry Festival.

• Cali Fair. The most important event in the city. It takes place annually in the city between December 25 and 30, bringing together more than 110,000 foreign tourists.
• National and International Meeting of Mercedes Montaño Folk Dances. To promote Andean and Pacific dances. It takes place at the open-air theater Los Cristales. In 2006, its XII version was produced.
• International Poetry Festival. It has been held annually since 2000 at the Cultural Center of Cali. The fifth version was held in 2005, with recitals, conferences and poetry workshops.
• Petronio Álvarez Pacific Music Festival. It takes place in August at the Bullring, for the year 2011 the festival was held at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. Awards are given in three categories: free, chirimia, marimba and percussion.
• Cali International Art Festival. It takes place every two years, in 2005 it was celebrated its version XII. Different artistic manifestations can be seen: theater, dance and plastic arts. The Jorge Isaacs Literature Prize is awarded.
• Cali Theater Festival. In May 2007, the Sixth Theater Festival was held in the city. ​ the festival has been held since 1999.
• UniRock Alternativo International Festival Held annually since 2009 at Universidad del Valle, its objective is to provide opportunities for knowledge to the music scene of the independent Latin American reality and to be a window for the diffusion of Rock music from the region. Organized by the Ra La Culebra Collective.
• CALIBRE Alternative Rock Festival. Held since 2006, it features alternative rock bands in the music park.
• World Salsa Cali Festival. In September 2009, the fourth version of the festival was celebrated, which hosted countless visitors from several countries in the city of Cali, which exceeded 13,000 people. With a duration of 11 days, Cali vibrated with the competition, in which the creatures were swept away with all the prizes.
• Jazz Fusion and Experimental Festival AJAZZGO. Celebrated since 2000, it features local, national and international jazz groups lasting 10 days presenting the concerts in different settings such as the Municipal Theater, the open-air theater Los Cristales, the Jorge Isaacs Theater, among others.
• Cali Performance Festival. Organized by Helena Producciones (NGO founded in 1998).
• International Ballet Festival Held annually in June, is organized by the Mayor of Cali, the city's Secretariat of Culture and Tourism and mainly by the Colombian Ballet Institute - Incoballet and the foundation dance with me at the head of the festival's teacher Gloria Castro. In 2015, it was celebrated its 9th version, from its grand opening to its closing in different stages of the city, with more than 13 national and international companies invited, where classical ballet, contemporary dance And flamenco take over Cali and make the city of salsa a marvelous place for a great dancistic meeting with the participation of the best companies in the world, the School and the Company of Inca coballet, with great public support, has led it to different municipalities in the valley department such as Roldanillo, Jamundi and Palmira.
• Cali International Film Festival. Newly created, 2011 will mark its third version. It is celebrated between October and November and highlights its selection of independent and experimental films.
• Festival 100En1Día Cali. The Festival arrived in Cali in 2013 and was held biannually in 2015 and 2017; starting with the fourth version in 2018, the festival is held annually and is traditionally held in the third week of october. It stands out for its high social impact in the different territories of the city through positive actions that involve communities with a high content of social innovation, reaching every year thousands of citizens. In 2018, the RIIE Awards (Social Responsibility, Inclusion, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) awarded the award as the best social innovation initiative for its high impact on the city.
• Cali International Book Festival. It takes place in the city in the months of September or October. The most recent one was held in October 2019 on the Boulevard del Río as a guest country of France.

Inside the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium.

Cali has been known as "America's Sports City." The city built new sports scenarios and adapted the old scenarios for the preparation of the World Games in 2013. ​ Cali has held the National Sports Games of Colombia three times, 1928, 1954 and 2008, in this last Cali shares the headquarters of the XVIII Version of these games together with the cities of Buenaventura, Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. Cali and Valle del Cauca have participated together in 11 of the 13 national sports boards (counting the medallionry) and have emerged 8 champions, as well as Antioquia followed by Bogotá (4).

Cali has been the only Colombian city to organize the Pan American Games, in 1971 the sports boards were held in its 6th edition, after having applied and won the event headquarters to the Canadian city of Winnipeg.

Fifteen World Cycling Stops on Track have also been organized between 1996 and 2017 at the Alcides Nieto Patiño Velodrome. In 2007, Cali hosted the World Skating Championships at the Los Diputados skating rink facility located in the sports complex Alberto Galindo Herrera. Colombia was once again the world champion of the sport.

Football is the most popular sport in the city. The city's professional teams have been 23 times champions of the Colombian tournament of the Dimayor, making Cali the city with the highest number of titles obtained, along with Bogotá (23) and followed by Medellin (22). As for international tournaments, the city has hosted the 6-time Copa Libertadores finals with the same number of sub-championships. The three professional teams are Deportivo Cali, América of Cali and Atletico F.C, the latter in second division disputing the First B, also known as the Eagle Tournament. Other important teams in amateur divisions are the Boca Juniors in Cali and the Carlos Sarmiento Lora Football School.

In 2010, the city had a professional baseball team called "Toros Cali un Nuevo Latir". He played his local games at Miguel Chávez stadium, located in the Jaime Aparicio Sports Unit. ​

Since 2010, the city has had a professional microfootball team in the women's branch; Cali Juniors, who is participating in the Women's Microfootball Professional Cup, which has already won two champions: (2011 and 2012); this tournament is governed by the MFA rules. Since 2017 he has had a men's team at the professional microfootball tournament: The Campaz Sports Club.

The city has two professional five-a-side football teams: Condor FC and Club Deportivo Lyon, the latter winning the first edition of the Colombian Football League in 2011, endorsed by the Colombian Football Federation and FIFA.

The excellent sports infrastructure has allowed Cali to host major world championships, among which it is worth listing:

• VI Pan American Games (1971)
• World Swimming Championships, 1973
• Seventh World Women's Basketball Championships (1975)
• IX World Men's Basketball Championship (1989)
• World Wrestling Championships (1995)
• World Underwater Rugby Championships (1995)
• I Pacific Ocean Games (1995)
• Racquetbol World Championship (1997)
• World Judo Championships (1997)
• Copa América (2001)
• 18th World Speed Skating Championships on online skates (2007)
• III World Cycling Championships (2009)
• 2011 U-20 Football World Cup
• IX World Games 2013
• 2014 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
• 2014 South American Futsal Championship
• 9th World Youth Athletics Championships (2015)
• XX World Underwater Rugby Championships 2015
• 2015 World Figure Skating Championships
• 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup
• Copa América (2021)
• 2021 Pan American Youth Games
• 2022 U-20 World Cup

Predecessor:   Winnipeg

Pan American City 1,971

Successor:   Mexico City

Sports infrastructure

Alberto Galindo Sports Unit.

Cali Sports Stadium.

The Ministry of Sport and Recreation operates 39 popular recreational units in all 22 communes of the city. ​ In terms of high-performance sports, Cali has several sports units for various activities. ​

• San Fernando Sports Unit Formed of Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium. It has a capacity of 45,200 viewers and is the second largest stage in South-West Colombia. The name of the stadium was given in honor of Mr. Pascual Guerrero who donated the land where it was built. The hotel opened in 1937 and has undergone four renovations: 1951 for the XII National Games, 1971 for the VI Pan American Games, 2001 for the Copa América, and the most important, between 2010 and 2011 for the U-20 World Cup. Pascual Guerrero Stadium is owned by the University of Valle., ​ the Coliseil o Evangelist Mora Built for the XII National Sports Games has a capacity of 4500 spectators, is a hangar-shaped structure, the Alberto Galindo Herrera Olympic Pools. With a 165 ft olympic swimming pool and a 5-meter deep diving pool, the stands can accommodate 2,000 spectators and the house of Sport.

• Mariano Ramos Sports Unit With a main coliseum for Futsal, and the María Isabel Urrutia Fighting and Weightlifting Coliseum.

• Jaime Aparicio Sports Unit, also known as the Pan American Sports Unit, is composed of 14 scenarios for different sports and teaching activities. Among the tribune scenarios are the pan-American Hernando Botero O’Birne swimming pools (7,280 spectators), the Francisco Chois volleyball gym (1,500 spectators), Miguel Chávez del Valle baseball diamond (4,500 spectators) and football stadium (2,000 spectators). There are also places to practice tennis, tejo, basketball, karate-do, volleyball on sand, softball, shooting and a racing track 300m long.

• Alberto Galindo Herrera Sports Unit Composed of the El Pueblo Coliseum, the Plaza de toros Cañaveralejo, the World Patinódromo, the Velódromo Alcides Nieto Patiño, a BMX track, a football field, a pavilion of Bolos and a pavilion for Billar.

• Cali Golf Courses have five golf courses, Cali Country Club, 18-hole course, par 71. Farallones Country Club, 18-hole course, par 73. Shalom Club Association, 9-hole course, par 36. Los Andes Country Club, 18-hole course, par 72 and El Campo Público Maro Golf, 9-hole course, par 33. These are golf courses where national tournaments and important international tournaments are played. Golf is played all year round, due to the good weather in the tropics. These golf courses are permanently visited by tourists from all over the world.
• The Cali Sports Stadium, the official headquarters of Deportivo Cali, was built in the Palmira countryside on the road to Cali city. August 24, 2001, was the first stone of the stage. The inauguration was on February 21, 2010 and has a capacity of 52,000 viewers, making it currently (2016) the largest stadium in the country.

Sports events

• Cycle lane: Also known as "cyclovida", as is the tradition every Sunday thousands of people do sports or fitness activities in Cali. In the cycle lane there are prevention posts with pressure and weight intake, with spread of healthy habits. Also, Cali and Palmyra plan the country's first metropolitan bike lane. From the sector of Los Alcázares, the cyclovía de Cali, will be integrated with that of Palmyra. ​
• Marathon of Cali: it is the most popular sporting event in southwestern colombia and has been celebrated since 2002 on the month anniversary of the city.
• The Light Race: His way is Cali City Avenue. It is the most important social event in the District of Aguablanca.
• It hosted the World Games in 2013. It hosted the Pan American Games in 1971 in the past.
• Cali was chosen as the venue for the 2021 Pan American Youth Games.^[requested]

• Featured Callians
• Cali Department