Travel Guide Natá

Founded on May 20, 1522, Santiago de Natá de Los Caballeros is one of the country's first cities. Its name derives from the horsemen(caballeros) sent by Spain to subdue the indigenous population, including a certain Natá, their leader. A legacy of this colonial past, the minor basilica of Santiago Apostol is said to be the oldest church on the Pacific side of the Americas. Other than that, the small town of 6,000 inhabitants only comes alive during Holy Week and on July 25, St. James's Day. Around ten kilometers from Natá lies the country's most important archaeological site: El Caño. Pre-Columbian tombs have been discovered here, confirming the existence of a civilization that lived in the area between the seventh and tenth centuries AD.