Huila

Department in central Colombia, which lies between the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes and is watered by the Magdalena River; area 19,900 sq km/7,683 sq mi; population (1996) 843,798. The capital is Neiva. Coffee is grown here, but on a smaller scale than in many other Colombian departments.

The area is rich in archaeological and palaeontological remains. Southwest of Neiva, near to the town of San Agustín, is the Parque Arqueológico, or ‘Valley of the Statues’, which contains statues of men, animals, and deities dating from the 6th century BC to the eve of the Spanish conquest. Nothing is known about the culture that produced them.