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In rooms of Carrizal, on May 6, 1688, a group of ranchers attached to the doctrine of the town of Indios de Guane, granted their power in favor of Don Francisco Díaz Sarmiento, later replaced by Don Leonardo Currea de Betanurt, in order to that the proceedings leading to the foundation of ´´a town attached to the city of Vélez, located in the territory between the Sogamoso and Mochuelo rivers (Fonce), whose name would be Santa Cruz, began in the Royal Court. The second part of the name San Gil, had been introduced to the original project of Santa Cruz to win the favor of this president with the homage that was made to the saint of his name.

On March 17 (onomastics of San Gil), 1689, the president of the Royal Court, Mr. Gil de Cabrera y Dávalos, issued the town's founding order, but only until May 11 (day of sangileñidad) following the Royal Hearing proceeded to release the letter granting the license to found a town in the province of Guane with the title of Santa Cruz and San Gil de la Nueva Baeza, TERPEL, UIS Research Group -

As of the Territorial Order of 1887, decreed by Governor Peña Solano for the department of Santander, San Gil acquired the quality of municipality, and since then it has been considered the head of the Province of Guanentá. The last of its provincial prefects, appointed in 1937 was Don José A. Solar. The city's patron saint is the Santa Cruz de la Nueva Baeza.





San Gil is a Colombian municipality, located in the department of Santander. It constitutes the most important urban nucleus in the south of Santander and is the Tourist Capital of the Department, and in general of the Colombian East.

Located 96 kilometers from Bucaramanga.

The historic center of this town with steep streets and located on the banks of the Fonce River is a National Monument. One of its main attractions is the El Gallineral park, which occupies an island in the river; the moss hanging from the trees and the rushing of the water make it a must see. Other attractions in San Gil are the Ragonessi ecological park, the blue well spa, La Gruta hill, La Cruz hill and the practice of adventure sports such as canoeing, mountaineering, mountain biking and motocross, among others.

It is the capital of the Guanentina province and has an area of ​​145 square kilometers; its inter-municipal limits are: to the north with the municipalities of Villanueva and Curití, to the east with Curití and Mogotes, to the south with the Valle de San José and Páramo, and to the west with Pinchote, Cabrera and Barichara.

San Gil, due to its height of 1114 meters above sea level, has an average temperature of 24º C, a maximum of 32º C and a minimum of 16º C; the rain regime ranges from 600 to 1800 millimeters per year with an average of 1,200 millimeters, the periods of greatest rainfall being the months of April and May in the first semester or main harvest, and the months of September and October for the sowings of mitaca. 82.2% of its thermal floor is warm and only 17.8% is medium.

Most of the territory varies from undulating to strongly undulating and its relief corresponds to the eastern Andean mountain range. Its mountains rise to the north to the top of La Legua and continue to rise up to the wells where the airport is located at a height of 1750 meters. To the east, the mountain range rises to Alto del Mirador, the highest, which rises to 2,000 meters. To the west, the mountain range rises to the Guarigua region up to the border of the Volador at 1400 meters, to the south is the mountain to the top of the plateau at 1800 meters of height and descends to form the channel of the Fonce River, on the margin Right of the river the terrain ascends to the Cuchilla del Encinal of equal height with the height of the plateau.

San Gil has an area of ​​approximately 145.9 square kilometers, equivalent to 14,950 hectares on land with 30% flat topography, 65% undulating and strongly undulating, and 5% steep soils difficult to use for livestock and agriculture.

The rural population is mainly dedicated to agricultural activity, based on semi-annual crops of tomato, beans and cassava; some permanent like coffee, cane and citrus. The livestock line is smaller and represents 20.25% of the Santander herd and 17.2% of the Department's milk production. Alternative fish farming, swine and poultry farms are beginning to have relevance in the sector. It has a wide Industrial Sector of Fabrics, Tobacco Processing Plants, Cement Plants, among others that are located on the outskirts of the city.





San Gil provincial capital and one of the most important cities of the eastern trunk, is exalted as the Tourist Capital of Santander in July 2004. These recognitions come to strengthen it as a development pole, tourist center and agricultural pantry in the south of Santander, appreciating the constant growth of its population, the regional market and its financial, industrial and academic activities.

Within the Development Plan of this entity of the department of Santander, the creation of the Municipal Institute of Tourism is projected in order to strengthen one of the activities that is in fact practiced thanks to the natural attraction resources that that municipality has, cataloged as the "Perla del Fonce". It is about boating or rafting.

The draft Agreement on tourism development is already in the hands of the Municipal Council for its respective study and approval.

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