The Patía River begins in the Department of
Cauca south of the city of
Popayán near the town of
Timbío. The source of the river begins in the gap between the
West Andes and
Central Andes very near the source of the
Cauca River. The Patía river flows westward from the Central massif of Colombia, cuts through the
Western Cordillera and drains into the
Pacific Ocean. In its upper section it runs through cloud forests and montane forests. The central section of the river flows through the
Patía Valley dry forests ecoregion. The lower section to the west of the Western Cordillera flows through the Chocó jungles of the Pacific region. The Patía is fed by the Quilcacé, Guachicono,
Mayo, Juanambú, Pasto and
Guaitara rivers. An 1853 watercolor by
Manuel María Paz shows a mestizo or indigenous family on horseback herding cattle in a field near the Patía River. ==See also==