Yarumal is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part o ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. The municipality (three parishes and 20 villages) has an area of . The population was 41,542 at the 2018 census. Its average elevation is above sea level. It has a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

, Our Lady of Mercy, which is a parish church of architectural note. It gave its name to the Yarumal Society for the Foreign Missions (M.X.Y./I.M.E.Y.), a Medellin-based Latin Catholic

Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right A society of apostolic life is a group of men or women within the Catholic Church who have come together for a specific purpose and live fraternally. It is regarded as a form of Consecrated life, consecrated (or "religious") life. This typ ...

for Men, which despite its name is especially active in Colombian missions.

History

Yarumal was founded in 1787 as San Luis de Gongora. Municipal status was granted in 1821.

Name

The current name of Yarumal comes from a local plant of the family

Moraceae Moraceae is a family of flowering plants comprising about 48 genera and over 1100 species, and is commonly known as the mulberry or fig family. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their ...

, known in botanical Latin as

Cecropia peltata ''Cecropia peltata'' is a fast-growing tree in the genus ''Cecropia''. Common names include trumpet tree, trumpet-bush, bacano, bois canon and snakewood. It is listed as one of the List of the world's 100 worst invasive species, world's 100 worst ...

Health

An unusually large proportion of the inhabitants suffer from early-onset

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

, which is caused by the gene mutation E280A. The genetic mutation is thought to have come from a Spanish conquistador. Approximately 5,000 residents will develop early-onset Alzheimer's. Half of the affected residents were shown to have developed symptoms by their early 40s.

Climate

Yarumal has a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...

(Cfb). It has heavy rainfall year round.

Notable people

* Jhon Jairo Velásquez (1962-2020), Medellin cartel hitman and You Tube personality

References