Somondoco is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá. This town and larger municipal area are located in the Valle de Tenza. The Valle de Tenza is the ancient route connecting the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and the Llanos. The area is dotted with many such little towns all located at approximately the same altitude (1500–1700 meters). Somondoco borders Almeida in the east, Guayatá in the west, Guateque and Sutatenza in the north and in the south the Cundinamarca municipality of Ubalá.[1]
Somondoco | |
|---|---|
Municipality and town | |
 Bull fighting arena Somondoco | |
 Flag | |
 Location of the municipality and town of Somondoco in the Boyacá Department of Colombia | |
| Country |  Colombia |
| Department | Boyacá Department |
| Province | Eastern Boyacá Province |
| Founded | 6 November 1537 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Edison Rolando Gaitán Roa (2020-2023) |
| Area | |
| • Municipality and town | 58.7 km2 (22.7 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 2.4 km2 (0.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,670 m (5,480 ft) |
| Population (2015) | |
| • Municipality and town | 3,632 |
| • Density | 62/km2 (160/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 795 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time) |
| Website | Official website |
The nearest larger town is Guateque which is about 30 minutes away by car. In Somondoco are several small companies producing handicrafts and collectables.
Etymology
editSomondoco is derived from the Chibcha words So = stone, Mon = bath, Co = support. The village is named after cacique Somendoco or Sumindoco.[2][1]
History
editSomondoco is a very old center of population extending back into prehistory. The Muisca settled here due to the abundance of emeralds mined in the Andes mountains.
When the Spanish conquistadores led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada arrived, Somondoco was ruled by a cacique named Sumindoco. He was loyal to the zaque of Hunza.[1] The date of foundation of Somondoco is November 6, 1537.[3]
Economy
editMain economical activities of Somondoco are emerald mining and agriculture; maize, tomatoes, sugar cane, beans, bananas and coffee.[1]
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View of Somondoco
References
edit- ^ a b c d (in Spanish) Official website Somondoco
- ^ (in Spanish) Etymology Somondoco - Excelsio.net
- ^ (in Spanish) Foundation of Somondoco November 6, 1537
Further reading
edit- Branquet, Yannick; Laumonier, Bernard; Cheilletz, Alain; Giuliani, Gaston (1999), "Emeralds in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia: Two tectonic settings for one mineralization" (PDF), Geology, 27 (7): 597–600, Bibcode:1999Geo....27..597B, doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0597:EITECO>2.3.CO;2, retrieved 2017-01-05
- Giuliani, Gaston; Cheilletz, Alain; Arboleda, Carlos; Carrillo, Victor; Rueda, Félix; Baker, James H. (1995), "An evaporitic origin of the parent brines of Colombian emeralds: fluid inclusion and sulphur isotope evidence" (PDF), European Journal of Mineralogy, 7 (1): 151–165, Bibcode:1995EJMin...7..151G, doi:10.1127/ejm/7/1/0151, retrieved 2017-01-05
- Ortega Medina, Laura Milena (2007), Tipología y condiciones de formaciónde las manifestaciones del sector esmeraldífero "Peña Coscuez" (municipio San Pablo de Borbur, Boyacá) (MSc.) (PDF), Universidad Industrial de Santander, pp. 1–121, retrieved 2017-01-05
- Pignatelli, Isabella; Giuliani, Gaston; Ohnenstetter, Daniel; Agrosì, Giovanna; Mathieu, Sandrine; Morlot, Christophe; Branquet, Yannick (2015), "Colombian Trapiche Emeralds: Recent Advances in Understanding Their Formation", Gems & Gemology, LI: 222–259, doi:10.5741/GEMS.51.3.222