Génova was
founded by Segundo Henao Patiño, who had founded Calarcá in 1886. During the Thousand Day War,
Henao was told by mule drivers arriving from Antioquia and Tolima that the
government war ministry was executing liberal guerrillas, with or without
trial. In order to hide from these potential reprisals, he organized a group of
liberals from Calarcá to explore the mountains to the south.
