History of Melgar

The first settlement was called "Cualamana", later change to "Villa de Nuestra Señora de Altagracia. In 1601 its name was changed to "La Candelaria", given by Captain Juan Lopez de Herrera. It was the site of an ancient Amerindian village that belonged to the Panches.

In the early 18th century the village was destroyed by a fire when the local religious celebrations were taking place. The village was rebuilt in 1789 by the Dominican community in the grounds owned by Cardenas Varastegui at the valley of the Sumapaz River. In the early days the place was called "Valle de Melgar". In 1824, the village was part of