Pasca

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Pasca
Town and municipality
PASCA.JPG
Pasca's church and museum façade
Flag of Pasca (Cundinamarca).svg
Escudo de Pasca (Cundinamarca).svg
Colombia - Cundinamarca - Pasca.svg
Location of the municipality and town of Pasca in the Department of Cundinamarca
Colombia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Pasca
Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 4°18′27″N74°18′3″W / 4.30750°N 74.30083°W / 4.30750; -74.30083
CountryFlag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
Department Flag of Cundinamarca.svg Cundinamarca
Province Sumapaz Province
Founded15 July 1537
Founded by Juan de Céspedes
Government
  Type Municipality
  MayorKaterine Mora
(2020-2023)
Area
  Town and municipality264.24 km2 (102.02 sq mi)
  Urban
0.27 km2 (0.10 sq mi)
Elevation
2,180 m (7,150 ft)
Population
 (2015)
  Town and municipality12,175
  Density46/km2 (120/sq mi)
   Urban
2,841
  Urban density11,000/km2 (27,000/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-5 (Colombian Standard Time)
Website Official website

Pasca is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia located in the Andes. It belongs to the Sumapaz Province. Pasca is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at a distance of 71 kilometres (44 mi) from the capital Bogotá. It borders Fusagasugá, Sibaté and Soacha in the north, Bogotá D.C. in the north and east, Arbeláez in the south and Fusagasugá in the west. Is the entrance to the Páramo del Sumapaz, the biggest ecosystem in its genre in the world. The urban center is located at an altitude of 2,180 metres (7,150 ft) and the altitude ranges from 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) to 3,500 metres (11,500 ft). [1]

Contents

Etymology

Pasca in the Chibcha language means "father's enclosure", according to Acosta Ortegón. [2]

History

Pasca in the time before the Spanish conquest was inhabited by the Muisca, organized in their Muisca Confederation. The southern Muisca territories were ruled from Muyquytá, the current capital. On April 6, 1536 conquistadors Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and his brother started the strenuous march into the inner highlands of Colombia. With 209 men he arrived on March 12, 1537, in Guachetá. From there he led his army to conquer the villages of the Muisca on the Bogotá savanna. [1]

One of his captains, Juan de Céspedes, reached Pasca in July 1537, founding modern Pasca on July 15. [1] It was the last village of the Muisca to be conquered before heading south into the domain of the Sutagao. [2]

Economy

Main economical activities in Pasca are livestock farming and agriculture, predominantly papa criolla, other potatoes, peas, onions, bunching onions, tree tomatoes, beans, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, blackberries, coriander and the Colombian fruits gulupa and curuba. [1]

Archeology

The famous Muisca raft, representing the ritual of El Dorado , was found in Pasca in 1969. [3] [4] The raft is now part of the Gold Museum collection in Bogotá.

The town contains an archaeological museum and a natural history museum.

Famous pasqueños

Ivan Ramiro Sosa cyclist winner of multiple races.

Climate

Climate data for Pasca, elevation 2,256 m (7,402 ft), (1981–2010)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)19.3
(66.7)
19.4
(66.9)
19.5
(67.1)
19.3
(66.7)
19.5
(67.1)
19.4
(66.9)
19.2
(66.6)
19.5
(67.1)
19.7
(67.5)
19.4
(66.9)
19.4
(66.9)
19.4
(66.9)
19.5
(67.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)15.7
(60.3)
15.7
(60.3)
15.9
(60.6)
15.9
(60.6)
15.9
(60.6)
15.8
(60.4)
15.6
(60.1)
15.7
(60.3)
15.9
(60.6)
15.8
(60.4)
15.7
(60.3)
15.8
(60.4)
15.8
(60.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)10.3
(50.5)
10.5
(50.9)
11.2
(52.2)
11.6
(52.9)
11.6
(52.9)
11.4
(52.5)
11.1
(52.0)
11.1
(52.0)
10.9
(51.6)
11.0
(51.8)
11.1
(52.0)
10.6
(51.1)
11.0
(51.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)53.3
(2.10)
53.9
(2.12)
92.0
(3.62)
102.1
(4.02)
84.0
(3.31)
51.0
(2.01)
45.4
(1.79)
40.9
(1.61)
57.0
(2.24)
106.9
(4.21)
113.3
(4.46)
61.1
(2.41)
860.7
(33.89)
Average precipitation days111215182119201616201813191
Average relative humidity (%)84858687878786858586878586
Mean monthly sunshine hours 139.5118.699.281.086.896.093.0102.396.093.090.0124.01,219.4
Mean daily sunshine hours 4.54.23.22.72.83.23.03.33.23.03.04.03.3
Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Museum, Bogotá</span> Museum in Bogota, Colombia

The Museum of Gold is an archaeology museum located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is one of the most visited touristic highlights in the country. The museum receives around 500,000 tourists per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeology Museum, Pasca</span>

The Archaeology Museum of Pasca is an archaeological museum located in Pasca, Colombia. It houses a great collection of Pre-Columbian objects and human remains, including Muisca mummies. It has a replica of the famous golden raft, Balsa Muisca, found near this town that represents the El Dorado rite. The museum hosts a piece of Muisca textile from Belén, Boyacá. The total collection numbers 2500 pieces. Apart from the Muisca artifacts, the museum hosts material from the Tairona, Calima, Quimbaya, Sinú, San Agustín and Tierradentro, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altiplano Cundiboyacense</span> Plateau in the Columbian Andes

The Altiplano Cundiboyacense is a high plateau located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes covering parts of the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca. The Altiplano Cundiboyacense comprises three distinctive flat regions; the Bogotá savanna, the valleys of Ubaté and Chiquinquirá, and the valleys of Duitama and Sogamoso. The average altitude of the altiplano is about 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) above sea level but ranges from roughly 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bojacá</span> Municipality and town in Cundinamarca, Colombia

Bojacá is a municipality and town of the Western Savanna Province, Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre is situated at an altitude of 2,598 metres (8,524 ft) on the Bogotá savanna at 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the capital Bogotá. The municipality borders Zipacón, Madrid and Facatativá in the north, Madrid and Mosquera in the east, Soacha and San Antonio del Tequendama in the south and Tena, La Mesa and Zipacón in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemocón</span> Place in Cundinamarca, Colombia

Nemocón is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Central Savanna Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca. Nemocón, famous for its salt mine, was an important village in the Muisca Confederation, the country in the central Colombian Andes before the arrival of the Spanish. The municipality is situated in the northern part of the Bogotá savanna, part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense with its urban centre at an altitude of 2,585 metres (8,481 ft) and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from the capital Bogotá. Nemocón is the northeasternmost municipality of the Metropolitan Area of Bogotá and the Bogotá River originates close to Nemocón. The median temperature of Nemocón is 12.8 °C. The municipality borders Tausa in the north, Suesca and Gachancipá in the east, Tocancipá and Zipaquirá in the south and in the west the rivers Checua and Neusa and the municipality of Cogua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish conquest of New Granada</span> Part of the Spanish conquest of Colombia

The Spanish conquest of New Granada refers to the conquest by the Spanish monarchy of the Chibcha language-speaking nations of modern day Colombia and Panama, mainly the Muisca and Tairona that inhabited present-day Colombia, beginning the Spanish colonization of the Americas. It is estimated that around 5 to 8 million people died as a result of Spanish Conquest, either by disease or direct conflict, this is roughly around 80-90% of the Pre-Columbian population of Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bogotá savanna</span> Motane savanna in Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The Bogotá savanna is a montane savanna, located in the southwestern part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the center of Colombia. The Bogotá savanna has an extent of 4,251.6 square kilometres (1,641.6 sq mi) and an average altitude of 2,650 metres (8,690 ft). The savanna is situated in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bacatá</span> Area on the Bogotá Savannah

Bacatá is the name given to the main settlement of the Muisca Confederation on the Bogotá savanna. It mostly refers to an area, rather than an individual village, although the name is also found in texts referring to the modern settlement of Funza, in the centre of the savanna. Bacatá was the main seat of the zipa, the ruler of the Bogotá savanna and adjacent areas. The name of the Colombian capital, Bogotá, is derived from Bacatá, but founded as Santafe de Bogotá in the western foothills of the Eastern Hills in a different location than the original settlement Bacatá, west of the Bogotá River, eventually named after Bacatá as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muisca raft</span> Pre-Columbian votive piece

The Muisca raft, sometimes referred to as the Golden Raft of El Dorado, is a pre-Columbian votive piece created by the Muisca, an indigenous people of Colombia in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The piece probably refers to the gold offering ceremony described in the legend of El Dorado, which occasionally took place at Lake Guatavita. In this ritual, the new chief (zipa), who was aboard a raft and covered with gold dust, tossed gold objects into the lake as offerings to the gods, before immersing himself into the lake. The figure was created between 1295 and 1410 AD by lost-wax casting in an alloy of gold with silver and copper. The raft was part of an offering that was placed in a cave in the municipality of Pasca. Since its discovery in 1969, the Muisca raft has become a national emblem for Colombia and has been depicted on postage stamps. The piece is exhibited at the Gold Museum in Bogotá.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muisca Confederation</span> Former Andean highlands confederation

The Muisca Confederation was a loose confederation of different Muisca rulers in the central Andean highlands of what is today Colombia before the Spanish conquest of northern South America. The area, presently called Altiplano Cundiboyacense, comprised the current departments of Boyacá, Cundinamarca and minor parts of Santander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liborio Zerda</span>

Liborio Zerda was a Colombian physician and Muisca scholar. Zerda has been important in the natural sciences of the late 19th and early 20th century in Colombia, publishing many articles about various topics, from medicine to chemical analysis, radioactivity and the popular drink chicha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish conquest of the Muisca</span> Part of the Spanish conquest of Colombia

The Spanish conquest of the Muisca took place from 1537 to 1540. The Muisca were the inhabitants of the central Andean highlands of Colombia before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. They were organised in a loose confederation of different rulers; the psihipqua of Muyquytá, with his headquarters in Funza, the hoa of Hunza, the iraca of the sacred City of the Sun Sugamuxi, the Tundama of Tundama, and several other independent caciques. The most important rulers at the time of the conquest were psihipqua Tisquesusa, hoa Eucaneme, iraca Sugamuxi and Tundama in the northernmost portion of their territories. The Muisca were organised in small communities of circular enclosures, with a central square where the bohío of the cacique was located. They were called "Salt People" because of their extraction of salt in various locations throughout their territories, mainly in Zipaquirá, Nemocón, and Tausa. For the main part self-sufficient in their well-organised economy, the Muisca traded with the European conquistadors valuable products as gold, tumbaga, and emeralds with their neighbouring indigenous groups. In the Tenza Valley, to the east of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense where the majority of the Muisca lived, they extracted emeralds in Chivor and Somondoco. The economy of the Muisca was rooted in their agriculture with main products maize, yuca, potatoes, and various other cultivations elaborated on elevated fields. Agriculture had started around 3000 BCE on the Altiplano, following the preceramic Herrera Period and a long epoch of hunter-gatherers since the late Pleistocene. The earliest archaeological evidence of inhabitation in Colombia, and one of the oldest in South America, has been found in El Abra, dating to around 12,500 years BP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muisca warfare</span>

This article describes the warfare of the Muisca. The Muisca inhabited the Tenza and Ubaque valleys and the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, the high plateau of the Colombian Eastern Ranges of the Andes in the time before the Spanish conquest. Their society was mainly egalitarian with little difference between the elite class (caciques) and the general people. The Muisca economy was based on agriculture and trading raw materials like cotton, coca, feathers, sea snails and gold with their neighbours. Called "Salt People", they extracted salt from brines in Zipaquirá, Nemocón and Tausa to use for their cuisine and as trading material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muisca art</span> Pre-Columbian art

This article describes the art produced by the Muisca. The Muisca established one of the four grand civilisations of the pre-Columbian Americas on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in present-day central Colombia. Their various forms of art have been described in detail and include pottery, textiles, body art, hieroglyphs and rock art. While their architecture was modest compared to the Inca, Aztec and Maya civilisations, the Muisca are best known for their skilled goldworking. The Museo del Oro in the Colombian capital Bogotá houses the biggest collection of golden objects in the world, from various Colombian cultures including the Muisca.

Juan (Francisco) de Céspedes Ruiz was a Spanish conquistador who is known as the founder of the town of Pasca, Cundinamarca, in the south of the Bogotá savanna, Colombia. De Céspedes arrived in the Americas in 1521 and participated in the conquest of the Tairona and the foundation of Santa Marta under Rodrigo de Bastidas. From 1542 to 1543 and in 1546 he served as mayor of Bogotá and after that until 1570 as lieutenant general of the first president of Colombia. Juan de Céspedes married Isabel Romero, one of the first Spanish women who arrived at Colombian territories and had two legitimate sons and one daughter. His date of death is uncertain; in late 1573 or 1576.

Baltasar Maldonado, also written as Baltazar Maldonado, was a Spanish conquistador who first served under Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, and later in the army of Hernán Pérez de Quesada in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Hills (Bogotá)</span> Chain of hills forming Bogotás eastern boundary

The Eastern Hills are a chain of hills forming the eastern natural boundary of the Colombian capital Bogotá. They are part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, the high plateau of the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The Eastern Hills are bordered by the Chingaza National Natural Park to the east, the Bogotá savanna to the west and north, and the Sumapaz Páramo to the south. The north-northeast to south-southwest trending mountain chain is 52 kilometres (32 mi) long and its width varies from 0.4 to 8 kilometres. The highest hilltops rise to 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) over the western flatlands at 2,600 metres (8,500 ft). The Torca River at the border with Chía in the north, the boquerón Chipaque to the south and the valley of the Teusacá River to the east are the hydrographic limits of the Eastern Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Tocarema</span> 1538 battle during the Spanish conquest of the Muisca

The Battle of Tocarema was fought between an alliance of the troops of Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and zipa of the Muisca Sagipa of the southern Muisca Confederation and the indigenous Panche. The battle took place on the afternoon of August 19 and the morning of August 20, 1538 in the vereda Tocarema of Cachipay, Cundinamarca, Colombia and resulted in a victory for the Spanish and Muisca, when captains Juan de Céspedes and Juan de Sanct Martín commanded two flanks of the conquistadors.

Juan Tafur was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca people. He was a cousin of fellow conquistadors Martín Yañéz Tafur, Hernán Venegas Carrillo and Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela. Juan Tafur was five times encomendero (mayor) of Santa Fe de Bogotá. He also received the encomiendas of Pasca, Chipaque and Usaquén. The encomienda of Suesca was shared between Tafur and Gonzalo García Zorro.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 (in Spanish) Official website Pasca Archived 2015-05-22 at archive.today
  2. 1 2 (in Spanish)Espejo Olaya, Maria Bernarda (1999) Notas sobre toponimia en algunas coplas colombianas Thesaurus. Tomo LIV, Núm. 3. page 1122.
  3. (in Spanish) Banco de la Republica: Exposición del Museo del Oro del Banco de la República en Bogotá
  4. (in Spanish) Explanation of the metallurgy of the Muisca raft by Eduardo Londoño - Museo del Oro
  5. "Promedios Climatológicos 1981–2010" (in Spanish). Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2024.