of Ibagué. Due to the frequent
attacks by the indigenous
Pijaos
commanded by
cacique
Ibagué, the city was founded once more
in its current location on February 7, 1551. From April to December 1854 Ibagué
was briefly the capital of the
New
Granada
following a
coup d'etatpromoted by
José María Melo, a general and
politician born in
Chaparral,
Tolima. In 1908, when the department of
Tolima
was created, Ibagué became its
capital.
Tolima University
was founded in 1945, and was raised to
state university status in 1954. The city is also the home of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ibagué.
