The ALTENCOA meetings began with the purpose of fostering Algebra and the Number Theory in Colombia and to achieve that a version of the “Coloquio Latinoamericano de Algebra” could held in our country. Some members of the ALTENUA group, organized the first ALTENCOA with first order guests: José Antonio de la Peña and Nicolás Andruskiewitsch, visible heads and main actors in the XVII Coloquio Latinoamericano de Algebra.

The first ALTENCOA under the name of ALTENCOA 2004 was held by the University of Antioquia, in Medellín in July 2004 from the 19th to the 23rd. The second meeting named ALTENCOA 2006 was held by the University of Cauca, in Popayán in July 2006, between May  1 st  and  June 4 th. The third version of the event, ALTENCOA3-2008, was held in July in 2008 by the School of Mathematics, of the Industrial University of Santander in Bucaramanga, between the 21st and the 25th. The fourth version of the event, ALTENCOA4-2010 , was held in June in 2010 by the School of Mathematics and Statistical, of the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia in Tunja, between May 31st and  June 4th  of 2010 and the fifth version was organized by the Universidad Distrital Franciso José de Caldas, Bogotá between 3rd and 7th of December in 2012.

ALTENCOA6-2014 will be hosted at the University of Nariño in San Juan de Pasto, Nariño, in August  11-15, 2014. During these days we will celebrate 10 years from the creation of the ALTENCOA meetings and 15 years of the foundation of the research group ALTENUA.