Choachí

Choachí Chiguachí
Municipality and town
Rural view of Choachí
Flag Seal
Location of the municipality and town inside Cundinamarca Department of Colombia
Choachí Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 4°31′47″N 73°55′25″W
Country	Colombia
Department	Cundinamarca
Province	Eastern Province
Founded	29 September 1560
Founded by	Antonio Bermúdez
Government
• Mayor	Álvaro Gutiérrez Pardo (2016-2019)
Area
• Municipality and town	223 km2 (86 sq mi)
• Urban	10.4 km2 (4.0 sq mi)
Elevation	1,923 m (6,309 ft)
Population  (2015)
• Municipality and town	10,729
• Density	48/km2 (120/sq mi)
• Urban	3,615
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
Website	Official website

Choachí is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Eastern Province of the department of Cundinamarca. The municipality borders La Calera in the north, Ubaque in the south, in the east Fómeque and westward of Choachí is the Colombian capital Bogotá. The town centre is located at 38 kilometres (24 mi) from the centre of the capital. Within the boundaries of Choachí the Páramo de Cruz Verde is situated.

Etymology

The name Choachí is derived from the original name in Chibcha: Chi-gua-chí, which means "Our Mountain of the Moon". The Muisca had a strong lunar cult and worshipped the goddess of the Moon, Chía in various places across their territories. It is believed that in Choachí a place of worship to the Moon was located.

Geography

Choachí is home to the tallest waterfall in Colombia, La Chorrera, which has a height of 590 m (~1940 ft).

History

The area of Choachí was inhabited by the southern Muisca, part of the Muisca Confederation ruled by the zipa of Bacatá. The modern foundation of the town was early in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, in 1560, by Antonio Bermúdez, a conquistador who arrived as part of the army of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. In 1601 a parish was constructed in Choachí.

Between the 17th and 19th century the original indigenous population almost completely perished.

Economy

Main economical activities in Choachí are agriculture, livestock farming. Also tourism, mainly from the capital, is a source of income for the local people.

Geology

In the area of Choachí Cretaceous sandstones and the organic-rich shales of the Fómeque Formation are outcropping.

Archeology

In the first half of the 20th century within Choachí the Choachí Stone has been found, possibly in a grave. The stone, carved in lydite may represent the Muisca calendar, a complex lunisolar calendar used by the Muisca. Also petroglyphs have been discovered in Choachí.

Gallery

• 
  Cara del indio, rock shaped as the face of an indian
• 
  Highest waterfall of Colombia
• 
  Rural part of Choachí
• 
  Cows in the fog
• 
  Store in Choachí
• 
  Road to Choachí
• 
  Charcoal burners of Choachí in 1850 by Ramón Torres Méndez.
• 
  Church of San Miguel in Choachí

Trivia

• A number of episodes of the popular series Escobar, el patrón del mal were filmed in Choachí
• The highest waterfall of Colombia with 590 metres (1,940 ft) is located in Choachí

Bibliography

• Izquierdo Peña, Manuel Arturo. 2009. The Muisca Calendar: An approximation to the timekeeping system of the ancient native people of the northeastern Andes of Colombia (PhD), 1-170. Université de Montréal. Accessed 2016-07-08.

External links

• (in Spanish) Petroglyhs discovered in Choachí - accessed 29-04-2016