Pasto was founded in 1537 by the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de
Belalcázar. In 1539 another Spanish conquistador Lorenzo de Aldana moved the
city to its current location, and established it under the name "San Juan
de Pasto". Pasto is a
reference to the name of the indigenous people who inhabited the region at the
arrival of the conquerors, the Pastos.
However, the Atriz Valley was inhabited by the Quillacingas. A major
contributor to the economy and expansion of Pasto was a man of Italian origin
named Guido
