Don Juan Daza, a Spaniard of illustrious lineage, took possession of the lands sometime later, and on 8 November 1581, in agreement with the rituals of the laws of Indias, nailed his sword in the ground marking it as an inhabited place and began constructing a farm.

Immigration to Rionegro came from numerous regions of the country, including from the same provincial capital of the time, Santa Fe de Antioquia and the original ranch grew into a village and then a town in the first half of the 17th century.

After seeing the bad state and rusticity of the chapel, the bishop ordered it to be demolished and a new one was built, its inauguration taking place in 1803.

The altitude of the rest of the territory varies between 2,100 and 2,600 metres (6,890 and 8,530 ft), and the topography is characterised by a number of small hills, some of which may rise to a greater height and slope like Cerro del Capiro, located in limits with the municipality of La Ceja.

A sharper mountainous system emerges towards the West of the municipality, which becomes a physical barrier between the Valley of the Aburrá and the Plateau of Rionegro, from where the main affluents of the Negro River are born.

Today the hydroelectric complex of Eastern Antioquia consists of five power stations, two of which are public companies of Medellín city.

According to DANE statistics 2005, the ethnic composition of this [3] city is: Rionegro is governed by a democratic system based on the processes of administrative decentralization generated by the proclamation of Political constitution of Colombia in 1991.

Amongst his main functions are the administration of the resources of the municipality including responsibility of health, housing, education and road infrastructure, to guard the well-being and respond to the interests of his fellow citizens and to represent them before the National Government, besides being impelled to implement local policies to improve quality of life within the municipality.

The Municipal council of Rionegro, is also subject to election, composed by 17 politicians of varying political parties, chosen for a period of four years.

Amongst its functions are approving the proposals and projects of the mayor, and with financial obligation to draw up the budget and to take responsibility of collecting rents and taxes.

From many years ago, Rionegro has become the most important trade center in eastern Antioquia, due to its strategic position in the subregion.