Chía is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia, located to the north of Bogotá on the main road to Zipaquira. Its history dates back to the

pre-Columbian era In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

. Due to its proximity to Bogotá, Chía has effectively become a suburb of the capital. It is also home of the Universidad de la Sabana. Chia is also known for its gastronomy and its variety of restaurants, ones of the best-known restaurants are Andres Carne de Res, El Galapago, El Despacho and The Store of Don Chucho.

Etymology

The place-name Chía, also pronounced like ''Chie in muysc cubun''

Chibcha language Chibcha, Mosca, Muisca, Muysca (*/ˈmɨska/), or Muysca de Bogotá, was a language spoken by the Muisca people of the Muisca Confederation, one of the many indigenous cultures of the Americas. The Muisca inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyace ...

Muisca language Chibcha, Mosca, Muisca, Muysca (*/ˈmɨska/), or Muysca de Bogotá, was a language spoken by the Muisca people of the Muisca Confederation, one of the many indigenous cultures of the Americas. The Muisca inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacens ...

means

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

, although it also has the meanings of «light», «brightness», «glow» (of a luminous source), Month and «nettle» (plant). However, it is not strictly speaking the same word with several meanings, but of several homonymous words, each of which would be understood depending on the context in which it was pronounced. In the case of the name of the municipality, the place name "Chía" refers to the Moon as a star and as a goddess of the Muisca mythology, in whose honour there was a temple built in the

Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

town.Etymology Chía
/ref>

History

Chía was inhabited first by indigenous groups during the Herrera Period and later by the

Muisca The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan langu ...

, as an important settlement in the pre-Columbian era. It was a ceremonial center of worship to the Moon goddess Chía. On March 24, 1537, the Spanish, under the command of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, took possession of the town. In 1781, during the

Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros ( es, Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Castile against the rule of Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its height, th ...

, the march of the insurgents towards Bogotá stopped near Chía in order to cross the

Bogotá River The Bogotá River is a major river of the Cundinamarca department of Colombia. A right tributary of the Magdalena River, the Bogotá River crosses the region from the northeast to the southwest and passing along the western limits of Bogotá. The ...

, in what is now known as the Bridge of the Commoners ( es, Puente del Común). At that site, the viceroy signed a series of concessions to the rebels. However, once the rebel group had dispersed, the viceroy declared the concessions invalid for having been signed "under pressure". It is widely believed that eventually Bogota will merge with Chia if the city continues to expand (as it happened with

Bosa Bosa is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Oristano (until May 2005 it was in the province of Nuoro), part of the Sardinia region of Italy. Bosa is situated about two-thirds of the way up the west coast of Sardinia, on a small hill, abo ...

and

Soacha , image_map = Colombia - Cundinamarca - Soacha.svg , map_caption = Location of Soacha in Cundinamarca , pushpin_map = Colombia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_nam ...

Borders

* North with

Cajicá Cajicá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca, north of the capital Bogotá. It is located in the Central Savanna Province, being the third most populous municipality in the province after Zipaquirá and Chí ...

* South with Bogotá localities Usaquén and Suba * West with

Tabio Tabio is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. It is located at from Bogotá. The town was officially founded April 8, 1603, by Diego Gómez de Mena, on grounds that were the property of the native Muisca who in ...

and

Tenjo Tenjo is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Central Savanna Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre is located at an altitude of on the Bogotá savanna. Tenjo is part of the Metropolitan Area of Bogotá and bor ...

* Southwest with Cota * East with

Sopó Sopó is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. The town is located 39 km north of the Colombian capital Bogotá. History The area of Sopó was inhabited first by indigenous groups during the Herrera Per ...

*Southeast with La Calera.

Other information

* Market Day: Sunday * Median temperature: 14 °C * DANE Code: 25175

Sites of interest

* El Castillo Marroquín - '' Marroquín Castle''. The Marroquin Castle is a building built in 1898, located in the grounds of the Hacienda El Castillo in the sector of La Caro, north of Bogotá. It is a building by the French architect Gastón Lelarge. The castle is a cultural heritage and is used for events and meetings of various types. * Hacienda Yerbabuena * Puente del Común * Chía Mall (Centro-Chía) *

Andrés Carne de Res Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres *Andres (song), "Andres" (song), a 1994 song b ...

* Iglesia la Valvanera * Biblioteca Publica Municipal HOQABIGA * Parque Santander * Fontanar Mall (Centro Comercial Fontanar) * La Montaña del Oso. It is a natural park located in the village of Yerbabuena, about 3200 meters above sea level. It is possible to take guided ecological walks, as well as camping. * Capilla de Nuestra Señora de la Valvanera - ''Chapel of Our Lady of Valvanera''. It is located at the top of the western hill of Chia, and is visible almost from any point of the municipality. It can be reached by walking on the steps built for this purpose, or by the two existing roads on land. Eucharistic celebrations are held every Sunday and from the adjacent balcony, there is also a panoramic view of the municipality. The road that leads to the other side of the hill (the "Boquerón") towards the municipality of

is also a frequent site for mountain biking, along with the other road that crosses the hill a little further north and that will give the municipality of

(known as "Lourdes").

Sports facilities

* ''Coliseo de la Luna'' (8,000 spectators), playing ground for the basketball team Cóndores de Cundinamarca * Sports unit "Rio Frio" * Olympic village * BMX Track "Iván de Jesús Barrientos"

Gallery

File:Chia.JPG, Football pitch File:Diosa chia estudio.jpg, Interpretation of Moon goddess Chía File:Bogota puente del Común Autopista Norte.JPG, Puente del Común File:La Diosa Chia (12053507405).jpg, The Goddess of Chia

References

External links

*
: FOTW: Flag and Coat of Arms of Chia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chia, Cundinamarca Municipalities of Cundinamarca Department Populated places established in 1537 1537 establishments in the Spanish Empire 1537 disestablishments in the Muisca Confederation Muysccubun