Montería, Capital city in Córdoba Department, Colombia
Montería is the capital of Córdoba Department in northern Colombia, located on both sides of the Sinú River. The city connects residential neighborhoods with low-rise houses on one side and commercial zones with taller buildings on the other, linked by several bridges across the wide river.
Antonio de la Torre y Miranda founded the settlement in 1777 under the name San Jerónimo de Buenavista on the opposite riverbank. A few years later it was moved to the current location to provide better protection from flooding.
The name refers to the early hunting of mountain game in the region when Spanish settlers explored the area. Today you see riverside stalls selling fresh fish and smoked meat, where vendors work following old methods.
Los Garzones Airport offers regular connections to Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, while buses run within the city. At several points along the river you can still experience traditional ferry crossings that provide an alternative to the car bridges.
Wooden rafts called planchones transport passengers across the river using only drag cables and the natural current. This manual technique has worked for generations without engine or oars, relying entirely on the angle of the cable.
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