Sebastian Mayano was born in 1479 or 1480 in the city of Córdoba, Spain. He later took the last name Belalcázar for the castle near his hometown. Theories suggest he may have been on Columbus’ third voyage in 1498, but other claims have been made that he left Spain in 1507 to escape punishment for killing a mule and an impoverished society. Whatever the case, Belalcázar in his travels founded some important settlements.
On this day July 25th, in 1536, Sebastian de Belalcázar founds the city of Santiago de Cali. Belalcázar had already explored Ecuador and was moving northward in search for the mythical city of El Dorado, a place said to be filled with gold. This place entranced Europeans for hundreds of years hoping to find this magical place of wealth.
Current day Santiago de Cali is simply referred to as Cali and is the third largest city in Colombia with a population of 2.5 million. The city was originally founded a few miles north, but in 1537 Belalcázar ordered for it to be moved to its current location. Cali is a relatively flat place with an altitude of over 3000 ft. above sea level, which is ironic because Cali is in Cacau Valley surrounded by mountains.