About Villavicencio

Villavicencio is the capital of Meta departamento, central Colombia, situated on the eastern slopes of the Andean Cordillera (mountains) Oriental. Founded in 1840, the city was named after Antonio Villavicencio, who was an early advocate of the struggle for independence from Spain. Villavicencio is the chief urban center of the llanos and forests of E Colombia. Coffee, bananas, rice, beer, and soap are the main products of the region. The surrounding area was the scene of large-scale banditry in the civil strife that rocked the country from 1948 to 1958.