Puente Aranda
Encyclopedia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n capital city, Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. It is located in the midwest within the city and was named after an old bridge in the hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
of Juan Aranda over the "Chinúa River" now called the San Francisco Creek
San Francisco Creek
-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...
that dates from the 16th Century. Puente Aranda has 1724 Ha of area which are almost entirely urban. This locality has more than 300,000 inhabitants, 5% of the total urban area inhabitants of Bogota.
Geography
To the north the locality of Puente Aranda borders the 19th Street which serves as boundary with the locality of TeusaquilloTeusaquillo
Teusaquillo is the 13th locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the geographic center of the city, to the northwest of downtown. It is an urbanized locality with several green zones in its parks, avenues, and the campus of the National University of Colombia...
. To the south with the Autopista Sur and the localities of Tunjuelito
Tunjuelito
Tunjuelito is the 6th locality of the Capital District of the Colombian capital city, Bogotá. Tunjuelito is located to the south of Bogotá, bordering to the north with the localities of Bosa, Kennedy and Puente Aranda, to the east with the localities of Rafael Uribe Uribe and Usme, to the south...
and Antonio Nariño
Antonio Nariño (Bogotá)
Antonio Nariño is the 15th locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the city's south. It is named after an early Colombian leader, Antonio Nariño, who is often referred to as the precursor to the presidency.- Borders :...
, to the east with Norte-Quito-Sur
Norte-Quito-Sur
Avenida Norte-Quito-Sur or NQS is an arterial road in Bogotá, Colombia that crosses the city from northeast to southwest.The avenue is formed from the union of three old avenues, Avenida Ciudad de Quito, Avenida Novena, and Autopista Sur.-The names:...
Avenue and the locality of Los Mártires
Los Mártires
Los Mártires is the 14th locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located near the city's downtown to its west. It takes its name in honor of those who died during the war for independence from Spain...
. To the west with the Carrera 68 and the localities of Kennedy
Kennedy (Bogotá)
Kennedy, or Ciudad Kennedy, is the eighth locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the south-west of the city and is the most populous of all localities being home to 14% of the city's residents.- Borders :...
y Fontibón
Fontibon
Fontibon is a former municipality located at the westernmost side of Bogotá, Colombia.-History:Founded on May 10, 1954; Fontibon was the gate to the current Bogotá City also known as Santa Fe de Bogotá, to the conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada and his fellow expeditioners.The origin of the...
.
Puente Aranda was in the past a convergence of many streams and wetlands which suffered floodings in contrast with the now almost entirely urbanized flat area with a slight elevation from east to west. Puente Aranda is built over an area without major geological risks away from the mountains.
The Fucha river, the San Cristobal River and the "Canal of the Commoners" crosses the locality among other canalized streams like Seco River, La Albania River, Commoners River and the San Francisco creek.
Colonial and Postcolonial
The Puente Aranda haciendaHacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
was property of Don Jorge Aranda and was established in a marsh terrain south of the then village of Santafé in the 16th century by the oidor
Oidor
Oidor is the Spanish name of the member judge of the Royal Audiencias and Chancillerías, originally courts of Kingdom of Castile, which became the highest organs of justice within the Spanish Empire...
Francisco de Anuncibay who arrived to the New Kingdom of Granada
New Kingdom of Granada
The New Kingdom of Granada was the name given to a group of 16th century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed by the president of the Audiencia of Bogotá, an area corresponding mainly to modern day Colombia and parts of Venezuela. Originally part of the Viceroyalty of...
in the year 1537. This hacienda was first named "Hacienda of Aranda" and "The Roof of the Jorges" were the river Chinúa and San Agustín merged. It was also the main western path to get to the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
, which was and still is the most important fluvial artery of Colombia and a bridge was built to facilitate this but was permanently subject to floods. In 1768 the bridge was reconstructed with a better structure and named Puente de Aranda (Aranda's Bridge). Then an esplanade was built along across the wetlands towards the west in an effort to communicate Bogota with the port of Honda
Honda, Tolima
Honda is a town and municipality in the Tolima department of Colombia. The population of the municipality was 26,873 as of the 2005 census. Along with Líbano, Honda is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Líbano-Honda...
over the Magdalena River. This way Honda was then connected to Fontibon
Fontibon
Fontibon is a former municipality located at the westernmost side of Bogotá, Colombia.-History:Founded on May 10, 1954; Fontibon was the gate to the current Bogotá City also known as Santa Fe de Bogotá, to the conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada and his fellow expeditioners.The origin of the...
and the "Encomienda Avenue" nowadays 13th Street (Centenario Avenue). Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
and his troops camped in the Hacienda of Aranda in 1814 during the wars of independence from Spain
Patria Boba
The period between 1810 and 1816 in the New Kingdom of Granada was marked by such intense conflicts over the nature of the new government or governments that it became known as la Patria Boba . Constant fighting between federalists and centralists gave rise to a prolonged period of instability...
.
In 1898 the southern line of the Railway of Bogotá was established which connected Bogota with the Tequendama Falls
Tequendama Falls
The Tequendama Falls is a 132m high waterfall on the Bogotá River, located about 30 km southwest of Bogotá in the municipality of San Antonio del Tequendama...
area and which was also part of the development of the region. The area was until the beginning of the 20th century a rural area of many haciendas.
Urbanization
By 1944 the rapid expansion of BogotáBogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
towards the south reached the Puente Aranda area, the Aranda bridge was demolished to build Las Americas Avenue, a project supported by the Colombian Society of Architects which would join the 13th Street in the now Carrera 50 and dividing into two ways 13th Street towards Fontibón
Fontibon
Fontibon is a former municipality located at the westernmost side of Bogotá, Colombia.-History:Founded on May 10, 1954; Fontibon was the gate to the current Bogotá City also known as Santa Fe de Bogotá, to the conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada and his fellow expeditioners.The origin of the...
and Las Americas Avenue towards the locality of Kennedy
Kennedy (Bogotá)
Kennedy, or Ciudad Kennedy, is the eighth locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the south-west of the city and is the most populous of all localities being home to 14% of the city's residents.- Borders :...
in Bogotá. The area where these two ways intersect is the site of the new Aranda bridge and the name of the neighborhood of Puente Aranda surrounding the crossing.
The area then had a rapid residential and industrial development, with numerous small manufacturing businesses basing their operations in the area. This same year Puente Aranda was zonified and consolidated with the Pilot Plan for Bogotá in 1951. In 1963 Puente Aranda and its neighboring barrios
Barrios
Barrios, de Barrios, Barrio or Berrios is a surname of Basque origin. The name may refer to:-People:*Agustín Barrios , Paraguayan guitarist and composer*Artur Barrio , Brazilian artist...
were declared sectors of Bogota only after Chapinero
Chapinero
Chapinero is the second locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in northeastern Bogotá. It is among the more affluent of localities in the city, and is home to several important commercial and dining areas. It comprises three major residential areas: Chicó, El Lago, and Chapinero...
which had been named a zone in 1954. Since then Puente Aranda has been producing many industrial products; textiles, chemicals, metallurgy, food and services.
Puente Aranda then extended to conurbate with the localities of Fontibón
Fontibon
Fontibon is a former municipality located at the westernmost side of Bogotá, Colombia.-History:Founded on May 10, 1954; Fontibon was the gate to the current Bogotá City also known as Santa Fe de Bogotá, to the conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada and his fellow expeditioners.The origin of the...
and Bogotá
Kennedy (Bogotá)
Kennedy, or Ciudad Kennedy, is the eighth locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the south-west of the city and is the most populous of all localities being home to 14% of the city's residents.- Borders :...
to the west, and Antonio Nariño
Antonio Nariño (Bogotá)
Antonio Nariño is the 15th locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the city's south. It is named after an early Colombian leader, Antonio Nariño, who is often referred to as the precursor to the presidency.- Borders :...
and Rafael Uribe Uribe
Rafael Uribe Uribe
Rafael Uribe Uribe was a Colombian lawyer, journalist, and general in the liberal party rebel army.-Early years:...
to the south.
in 1972 the "Special District of Bogota" was created and divided the city into 16 zones, each one of them considered a minor cityhall in an effort to begin establishing a Metropolitan Area for Bogota
Metropolitan Area of Bogotá
Metropolitan Area of Bogotá is the unofficial metropolitan area of the Colombian capital city of Bogotá, usually used for statistical analysis or technical use....
. The 16 mayors head of zones were appointed by the Mayor of Bogotá. This system was ratified in an accord in the year 1977.
With the Colombian Constitution of 1991
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia, better known as the Constitution of 1991, is the current governing document of the Republic of Colombia. Promulgated on July 4 of 1991 , it replaced the Constitution of 1886...
the Special District became the Capital District dividing Bogota into 20 localities and its minor city hall became a Local City Hall with its City Council and a Local Administrtive junta.
Demography
The locality has an increasing rhythm of development which by the year 2000 had 1794 city blockCity block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
s, 700 of these industrial and some 800 residential. there are five relatively important neighborhoods considered Units of Zone Planification:
- Ciudad Montes, 107,144 inhabitants
- San Rafael, 91,990 inhabitants
- Muzu, 73,270 inhabitants
- Puente Aranda, 11,845 inhabitants
- Corridor Industrial, 5,585 inhabitants
Population
The first census was done in 1973 in which Puente Aranda had an estimated population of 221,776 inhabitants. In the 1985 Census Puente Aranda registered a population of 305,123 inhabitants and since then the population started decreasing due to the construction of new residential areas in other parts of Bogota until 1993 when Puente Aranda registered a population of 282,491 inhabitants. For the 2005 Census Puente Aranda had increased its population to 370,292 inhabitants.Transportation
Puente Aranda is surrounded by the Carrera 68, la Carrera 30Norte-Quito-Sur
Avenida Norte-Quito-Sur or NQS is an arterial road in Bogotá, Colombia that crosses the city from northeast to southwest.The avenue is formed from the union of three old avenues, Avenida Ciudad de Quito, Avenida Novena, and Autopista Sur.-The names:...
, the Avenue of the Americas, the Calle 13, the Calle 19, the Calle 3, the Calle 6 and the Carrera 50, which are its most important roads. it also includes a section over the Avenida Primero de Mayo, all these streets are covered by different bus routes which connect it to the rest of the city.
The locality is also served by the bus rapid transit system TransMilenio
TransMilenio
TransMilenio is a bus rapid transit system that serves Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. The system opened to the public in December 2000, covering Av. Caracas and Calle 80...
with multiple stops on the F and G lines; Marsella
Marsella (TransMilenio)
The simple station Marsella is part of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in the year 2000.-Location:The station is located in the industrial sector of the city, specifically on Avenida de Las Américas with Carrera 69....
, Pradera
Pradera (TransMilenio)
The simple station Pradera is part of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in the year 2000.-Location:The station is located in the industrial sector of the city, specifically on Avenida de Las Américas with Carrera 65....
, Américas Carrera 53 A
Américas Carrera 53 A (TransMilenio)
The simple station Américas - Carrera 53 A is part of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in the year 2000.-Location:...
, Puente Aranda
Puente Aranda (TransMilenio)
The simple station Puente Aranda, is part of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in the year 2000.-Location:...
, Carrera 43
Carrera 43 (TransMilenio)
The simple station Carrera 43 is part of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in the year 2000.-Location:The station is located in Bogotá's industrial zone, specifically on Calle 13 between Carreras 41 and 42A Bis....
, Industrial Zone
Zona Industrial (TransMilenio)
The simple station Zona Industrial is part of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in the year 2000.-Location:The station is located near downtown Bogotá, specifically on Calle 13 between Carreras 38 and 42....
and CDS Carrera 32
CDS Carrera 32 (TransMilenio)
The simple-station CDS Carrera 32 is part of the TransMilenio mass-transit system of Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in the year 2000.-Location:...
.
At the Carrera 53 there is a satellite stop that covers intermunicipal routes through Fontibón
Fontibon
Fontibon is a former municipality located at the westernmost side of Bogotá, Colombia.-History:Founded on May 10, 1954; Fontibon was the gate to the current Bogotá City also known as Santa Fe de Bogotá, to the conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada and his fellow expeditioners.The origin of the...
and the rest of the Metropolitan Area of Bogotá
Metropolitan Area of Bogotá
Metropolitan Area of Bogotá is the unofficial metropolitan area of the Colombian capital city of Bogotá, usually used for statistical analysis or technical use....
to towns like Funza
Funza
Funza is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
, Mosquera
Mosquera, Cundinamarca
Mosquera is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. It lies near the national capital and has a population of a city of 90,000....
, Madrid
Madrid, Cundinamarca
Madrid is a town and municipality in the Department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. The city is located at 19 miles from Bogotá City. The city's main and biggest industry is the growing of flowers, especially roses which are mostly exported to the United States and Japan.Madrid is well known because it...
, among others. The area is also covered by the Bogota's Bike Paths Network
Bogota's Bike Paths Network
Bogotá is the Colombian city with the most extensive and comprehensive network of bike paths. Bogotá’s bike paths network or ciclorrutas in Spanish, designed and built during the administration of Mayor Enrique Peñalosa, is also one of the most extensive in the world.The design of the network was...
.
Neighborhoods
The most important neighborhoods are Tibana, Puente Aranda, Pensilvania, Comuneros, Primavera, El Jazmin, Jorge Gaitan Cortes, Santa Matilde, Ciudad Montes, La Guaca, El Remanso, La Ponderosa, La Alquería, La Coruña, Ospina Perez, Muzu, Galan, La Asunción, Bochica Sur, Pradera, Milenta, Trinidad Galan, La Igualdad, San Rafael, San Rafael Industrial, Salazar Gomez, Veraguas, Veraguas Central, Gorgonzola, La Camelia, Tejar, Santa Rita, Vosconia, Torremolinos, El Ejido, Santa Isabel, Colon, San Gabriel and Sorrento. Besides the Industrial Corridor which includes the Industrial Zone, the Industrial Center and the Centennial Industrial Zone.El Sol