Zipaquirá
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...
in the department of Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....
. Its neighboring municipalities are Tausa
Tausa
Tausa is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
and Cogua
Cogua
Cogua is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.-External links:...
to the north; Nemocón
Nemocón
Nemocón is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.- History :Nemcón means "The cry of the warrior" in the Chibcha language. The city was founded by Spanish settlers in 1537.- Geography and description :...
, Gachancipá
Gachancipá
Gachancipá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
and Sopó
Sopó
Sopó is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
to the east; Cajicá
Cajicá
Cajicá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.The native name of Cajicá is "The Stone Fortress." It is the third most populous municipality in the province after Zipaquirá and Chía- Other Facts:*Market Day: Sunday...
and Tabio
Tabio
Tabio is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. It is located at from Bogotá. The population was 20,714 at 2005...
to the south; and Subachoque
Subachoque
Subachoque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
and Pacho
Pacho
Pacho is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.-External links:...
to the west. Its seat of municipal government is 49 kilometers from Santa Fe de Bogotá. It is part of the Greater Bogotá Metropolitan Area, and is the capital of the province. It is also headquarters of the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the same name and that includes much of the Department of Cundinmarca, extending to the centre of Bogotá, the region of Rionegro, the Ubaté Valley, and the region of Guavio.
In Chibcha, the language of the Muiscas - the indigenous people of the area - its name meant "The Land of the Zipa". Zipa was the king of this territory.
The town is primarily known for its Salt Cathedral
Salt Cathedral
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground in a Halite mountain near the town of Zipaquirá, in Cundinamarca, Colombia. It is a very popular tourist destination and place of pilgrimage in the country...
, an underground church built inside a salt deposit in a tunnel made as result of the excavation of the salinas (salt mines). Zipaquirá has a very interesting architecture, and the old city centre is a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
. Its main square is surrounded by old buildings in the Spanish Colonial style. This small city can be reached by train from Bogotá.
Origins
In the Abra Valley between Zipaquirá and TocancipáTocancipá
Tocancipá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. The race track is located in the surroundings of the town, here they make vintage auto races as well as gt races....
were found some of the most ancient human remains of Colombia. The lithic strata reveal animal bones and carbon fragments that carbon 14 dating indicates are 12,400 years old.
Zipaquirá is one of the oldest cities of Colombia. Its origins go back to the time of the Spanish conquest. There are two possible origins of its name. One of them is taken from the indigenous people who inhabited the foot of the Zippa mountain range, "Chicaquicha", which means "our large wall" or according to other sources, "city of our father", and until the 19th century the name was written beginning with the letter C. The other possibility refers to the name "zipa", a title conferred to the governor of the village and to his wife, the latter known by the title of "Quira", and thus "Zipa-Quirá". The native people who lived there settled in the upper part of the mine called "Puebla Viejo", now known as Santiago Pérez, approximately 200 meters above the present site of the city, and where early Spanish descriptions (1536) speak of "seeing a few hundred dwellings with a population of 12,000 people".
These lands were part of the domain of Zipa de Bacatá, the leader of the southern part of the Muisca people. This area of the Bogotá plain had at that time a series of small lakes and canyons which made possible the transportation of its inhabitants by canoe, by means of which the inhabitants of Nemocón
Nemocón
Nemocón is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.- History :Nemcón means "The cry of the warrior" in the Chibcha language. The city was founded by Spanish settlers in 1537.- Geography and description :...
, Gachancipá
Gachancipá
Gachancipá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
, and Tocancipá
Tocancipá
Tocancipá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. The race track is located in the surroundings of the town, here they make vintage auto races as well as gt races....
reached Chicaquicha in order to seek supplies of salt which they traded for pottery and tiles. Salt was also traded with peoples throughout the Andean region
Andean region
Andean region may refer to:* Andes, mountain chain in South America* Andean Region * Andean Region of Colombia...
of Colombia, including the Panches, Tolimas, and Pantágoras in the present Department of Tolima
Department of Tolima
Tolima is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the Andean region, in the center-west of the country. It is bordered on the north and the west by the department of Caldas; on the east by the department of Cundinamarca; on the south by the department of Huila, and on the west by the...
, and the Muzos of the present Department of Boyacá.
Colonial Era
On July 18, 1600, DonDon (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Luis Henríquez
Luis Henríquez
Luis Henríquez is a football defender. He currently plays in Poland for Lech Poznań.-National team:Henríquez made his debut for the Panama in 2003 and has been a member of all the youth processes of the Panama national team.-Honors:Club*Liga Panameña de Fútbol :**2004, 2007 *Ekstraklasa...
established a settlement on the site with workers and their families, and named it the "Village of Zipaquirá".
On August 2, 1600, Henríquez contracted Juan de Robles to construct the Church of Zipaquirá, which was later reconstructed by Pedro de Tovar y Buendía, when the parish priest was Fernando de Buenaventura y Castillo.
In 1605 the area was named the Corregimiento de Zipaquirá and removed to its original location; this was done due to the limited area available on the originally occupied plain, as well as to the fact that the Spanish forces ordered that no Spanish, negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
s, mestizos or mulattos were permitted to live in native villages, even if they had purchased land therein.
In 1623, the Spanish official Don Francisco de Sosa named as ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
s the 321 native inhabitants in the "Old Town", according to the declaration of Alfredo Tinoco.
On October 5, 1638, Gabriel de Carvajal became the guardian of 771 natives in the region and 125 in Tibitó.
In 1778, by order of the Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Manuel Antonio Flores
Manuel Antonio Flores
Manuel Antonio Flores Maldonado Martínez Ángulo y Bodquín was a general in the Spanish navy and viceroy of New Granada and New Spain .-Early career:Flores entered the royal navy of Spain, where he commanded various...
, the natives who lived in Zipaquirá were transported to Nemocón
Nemocón
Nemocón is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.- History :Nemcón means "The cry of the warrior" in the Chibcha language. The city was founded by Spanish settlers in 1537.- Geography and description :...
in order to prevent constant rebellions of previous owners of the salt deposits.
August 3, 1779 saw the creation of the Holy Trinity and San Antonio de Padua parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
.
During the Spanish re-conquest, on August 3, 1816 the so-called Zipaquira Martyrs we executed in the city square.
Republican era
With the Constitution of Cundinamarca of 1815, the city became the capital of the province of the same name. On July 10, 1863, it was designated the capital of the Sovereign State of Cundinamarca, although subsequently it was named Funza by decree of President Morales. Law number 46 of April 29, 1905 created the Department of QuesadaQuesada
Quesada is a Spanish name originating from the region of Jaén, Andalucia. It was originally the surname of the nobility from the town of Quesada...
, the capital of which was Zipaquirá, which remained so until 1910.
Geography and description
Located 48kmKM
KM, Km, or km may stand for:*Kilometre *Kernel methods*Kettle Moraine High School*Khmer language *Kuomintang , a centre-right political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan...
north of 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...
, being linked by road and by train. The most famous of its salt mines has been exploited since pre-Columbian times by the Muiscas, in which is located the fabulous Salt Cathedral. Gonzales Forero Square is the epicentre of the city, surrounded by beautiful buildings that have conserved their colonial style, and are considered to be national monuments. The square contains a cathedral constructed between 1760 and 1870, with its interesting stone facade, as well as City Hall and the Salinas Administration Building, with their green Republican style roofs.
The city has undergone recent changes, having transformed streets in the centre to pedestrian walkways, and limiting vehicle traffic in the area in an attempt at preservation and conservation, and lending a more cordial aspect for tourists. As part of this strategy, the city has also carried out a project of restructuring the Sabana Station (railroad), and next to it the construction of Parque La Esperanza.
Currently, the Bogotá - Chía - Cajicá - Zipaquirá highway is being completed, making possible more rapid and safer access to the city, since the Cajicá - Zipaquirá segment was one of the most accident-prone roads in the country.
Zipaquirá offers the visitor typical restaurants, colonial houses that are almost 300 years old, tourist agencies, recreation centres such as Panaca Sabana, museums, crafts, and an interesting retail infrastructure.
Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
is also important in the municipality, especially dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
. Industry in the region is closely associated with the production, processing, and refining of salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. The estimated population is 100,000 inhabitants (called "Zipaquireños").
Among the most famous events of the area are the majestic Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
processions, organized for the last 54 years by the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
of Zipaquirá Congregation, with processions throughout the week with beautiful Spanish religious relics that attract both local residents and visitors. Tourists actively participate during Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
when the procession of the Path of the Cross journeys up to the Plazoleta del Minero to the entrance of the Salt Cathedral.
Night life
Zipaquira is also famous for its night life and different kind or bars and clubs where you can meet lots of people either local or tourist and enjoy a cocktail or a beer.Notable people
- Roberto Mac-Douall - Poet and writer.
- Santiago PérezSantiago Pérez de ManosalbasSantiago Pérez de Manosalbas was a Colombian educator, lawyer, diplomat, writer, journalist and statesman who was President of the United States of Colombia between 1874 and 1876.- Biographic data :...
(1830–1900) President of Colombia from 1874 to 1876. - José María González Benito (1843–1903) Engineer and astronomer.
- Luis Orjuela (1849–1930) Historian, journalist, researcher, and writer.
- Ricardo Hinestrosa Daza (1874–1963) Jurist, Rector of the Universidad Externado y Educador.
- Guillermo Quevedo Zornoza (1882–1964) Composer.
- Carlos Cortés Lee, Bishop and moral philosopher.
- Miguel Sopó (1918) Sculptor and painter
- Efraín Forero (n. 1930) Winner of the Tour de Colombia (cycling).
- Alfonso Angarita Baracaldo Lawyer and former federal senator.
- José Misael Rozo Camargo (1939–2002) Lawyer and philanthropist.
- Germán Castro CaycedoGermán Castro CaycedoGermán Castro Caycedo is a Colombian journalist and writer. Castro Caycedo's topics revolve around the Colombian reality, under the parameters of the cultural identity and its social and economic phenomena....
(n.1940) Journalist and writer. - Manuel Alvarado Ortega (n.1949) Engineer, Colombian Engineer - National Award "Lorenzo Codazzi" 1993, 2006 y 2009 SCI.
- Rafael Armando Baracaldo González (n.1949) Athlete and Coach.
- César Alfonso Forero (1882–1974) Engineer.
- José Fernando Castro Caycedo (1951–2008) Politician and lawyer.
- Libia Ortega Acosta (n.1959) Cyclist.
- Gustavo Petro Urrego (n.1960) Politician, former militant, guerilla, member of M-19, former congressman and senator.
- Stella Castro Zabala (1.962) Athlete.