The first people to arrive in Montenegro in the modern era were treasure hunters (Spanish: guaqueros), attracted by reports of gold artefacts in indigenous burial sites in the area. In the 1880s more than 1,500 people arrived from as far away as Antioquia in search of treasure. One of the earliest settlers was María Antonia "Toñíta" Granada, a widow originally from Pácora, Caldas. In 1884 she built a house in what is now the center of the township, close to the River Roble. She became the first woman registered as a founder of a town in Quindío.
