El Carmen de Viboral is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. In 2020, the population was estimated to be 62,581. It is part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia and is located away from MedellÃÂn, the capital city of the Antioquia department. El Carmen de Viboral is a small town that specializes in ceramics. Many shops allow visitors to see how ceramics and other handicrafts are made.
Carmen de Viboral is bordered by Cocorná in the northeast, Sonsón in the southeast, Abejorral in the southwest, La Unión and La Ceja to the west, and Rionegro and Marinilla to the northwest.
El Carmen de Viboral was founded on April 11, 1714. The area was first inhabited by the TahamÃÂ people. It became a municipality in 1814.
In 1945, the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán National Ceramics School (Escuela Nacional de Cerámica Jorge Eliécer Gaitán) opened in Carmen for training in the making of ceramics. This school would later expand to become the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Industrial Technical Institute.
The town's anthem was written by Alberto Acosta Tobón and composed by Sixto Arango Gallo in 1961.
A Ceramics Museum in Carmen de Viboral opened in 2012.
El Carmen de Viboral is well known for its handcraft ceramics, which date back to the late 19th century, specifically 1898, when Eliseo Pareja founded his first ceramics business in the town. On moving to the area, he found a richness of feldspar and quartz, which are fundamental minerals in the fabrication of ceramics.
The ceramics of El Carmen de Viboral combine the indigenous and Spaniard traditions plus the American aspirations. They are unique to the region and the world. No two ceramic pieces are the same, as everything is uniquely hand painted.
Ceramics from El Carmen have been gifted to foreign leaders and politicians, including Elizabeth II and Pope Leo XIV.
A regional campus of the University of Antioquia opened in Carmen in 2003.
Typical cuisine in the town includes arepas de chócolo and cheese, as well as sweets and other Antioquian dishes such as the bandeja paisa.
According to DANE statistics from the 2005 Census, the ethnic composition of the municipality is the following:
Since 1988, the mayor is chosen by popular vote and serves a term of four years.