a new one was built, its inaguration taking place in 1803. Rionegro became an important town, and a new distribution of lands was made (resulting in the colonization of the south of the region). Rionegro grew in the 19th century and was an important center during the end of the Spanish colony, and in the early years of Independence. The city then rivaled Santa Fe de Antioquia to compete for the capital of Antioquia, until the city of Medellín grew prominently and far exceeded the growth of these cities. Geography and climate The municipality of Rionegro is located in the central mountain range of the Andes in eastern Antioquia. With a total area of 196 km2, is part of the sub-region of Eastern Antioquia. The city is surrounded in the north by the municipalities of Guarne and San Vicente, in the east by the municipalities of Marinilla and El Carmen de Viboral, in the south by the municipality of La Ceja, and in the west by the municipalities of El Retiro and Medellin. The city of Rionegro is located at , at an average elevation of above sea level. The average annual precipitation varies between with an average temperature of . Much of the land consists of volcanic ashes and soils with a high resistance to erosion. The altitude of the rest of the territory varies between , and the topography is characterised by a number of small hills, some of which may rise to a greater height and slope like Cerro del Capiro, located in limits with the municipality of La Ceja. A sharper mountainous system emerges towards the West of the municipality, which becomes a physical barrier between the Valley of the Aburrá and the Plateau of Rionegro, from where the main affluents of the Negro River are born. The main hills of the mountainous chain that surround the Valley by Rionegro are: Alto Gordo, Alto de Amariles, Alto de Salazar o La Pilastra, Cerro Verde, Alto de Careperro, Alto de Pantanillo, Cerro Corcovado and Cerro del Capiro. Part of the city is an alluvial plain of the Negro River and its tributaries, which also include the Pantanillo River and the gorges such as Las Palmas and Espíritu Santo y Fizebad. Historically the Negro River divided the valley in two, with the Valley of Llanogrande and the Valley of San Nicholas. Hydroelectric companies operate in the area, and