Ibagué, colloquially known as the American music capital , is a city located in central Colombia on the Central Andes between Combeima Canyon and Magdalena Valley , in the vicinity of Nevado del Tolima. It is the capital of the department of Tolima, one of 32 departments in the Republic of Colombia . It lies at an altitude of 1285 meters above sea level , has an average temperature of 21 º C , the city center is politically divided into 13 municipalities and rural area in more than 17 districts , 144 villages and 14 inspections. According to DANE Ibagué has 600,000 inhabitants , positioning itself as the seventh (7th ) largest city in Colombia , but its population is estimated to add nearly a million. It was founded on October 14, 1550 by the Spanish captain Andrés López de Galarza, making it one of the oldest cities in America. It is categorized as a special municipality of Colombia . Being a capital city , houses the governor of Tolima, the Courthouse , City Hall , the Departmental Assembly , the Attorney General 's Office, and is the main political , industrial, commercial , cultural , financial and tourist epicenter of the department . The city is called " Musical Capital of Colombia and America" ​​thanks to French Count of Gabriac who gave the city the title in his travel chronicles published in Europe around 1886 , who was surprised with the music scene in the city, in their colorful murals of downtown buildings , at the Conservatory of Ibague, Tolima and Conservatory , considered the most important music schools in the country. Since 1959 the city is home to the National Folk Festival in June, becoming one of the most important cultural events of Colombia . Monuments music allude to are scattered in the city squares, events, concerts , theaters, make the city a ' Capital Músical " . Its main public institutions for study and research are the University of Tolima, Tolima Conservatory and the National Open and Distance University . http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibagu%C3%A9