The unfailing Caldas mist, a perennial friend to coffee growers, rises from a verdant valley and setting for a dawn photograph by Carlos Pineda.

In the northern folds of this department, a patchwork of small towns are revealed, and unsung bastions of a coffee trade that dates back a century. The towns of Salamina and Aguadas are as enchanting and interesting as the history of this region and an industry that continues to define the identity of Colombia.

Salamina is a jumpy two-hour bus ride from Manizales and not to be underestimated. Like the majority of Caldense towns, its heritage is Spanish and, because the founders of Manizales, Pereira and Armenia parted ways here, is known as the “mother of nations.” As a result, the buildings are colorful and evocative of its history, and streets flanked by eye-catching balconies.

Further to the north, Aguadas, shares much with Salamina – a striking church as its centrepiece, the carved countenance of Simon Boli?var, the Liberator, watching dutifully over cafe?s around a leafy square.

What most draws the small towns of northern Caldas, and perhaps all the small towns of the coffee region, is the people and their presentation. There’s a shared cultural identity and commitment to a way of life. All across the board, the hardworking, weather-beaten male residents are rarely seen without their campesino attire, complete with leather boots, flannel button shirts, and a distinctive hat known as the sombrero aguaden?o; the purpose of this stylish headpiece is to protect the coffee farmers from a blazing sun accentuated by this region’s steep topography.