Javier Ocampo López (born 19 June 1939) is a Colombian historian, writer, folklorist and professor. He has been important in the fields of Colombian folklore and history of Latin America and Colombia, especially contributing on the department of Boyacá, the homeland of 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 ...

and their

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

and

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

.Curriculum Vitae – Javier Ocampo López
– Retrieved 23 April 2016 He wrote exclusively in Spanish.List of works by Javier Ocampo López
– WorldCat – Retrieved 23 April 2016

Biography

Javier Ocampo López was born in Aguadas, a village famous for the '' pasillo'' (a Colombian type of

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

), in the department of Caldas in west-central Colombia to parents Francisco Ocampo Gutiérrez and Doña Teresa López Hurtado. He has one brother, Fabio. In 1956 he finished his secondary education as best student of his class. Ocampo plays the clarinet since the age of twelve and was a member of the music group of his village of birth. Ocampo went to study in 1956 at the ''Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Económicas'' ("Faculty of Social and Economical Sciences") of the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, where he obtained his degree in

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

. Ocampo López obtained his PhD at El Colegio de México in 1969 with his thesis titled ''Las ideas de un día. El pueblo mexicano ante la consumación de su independencia'' ("Ideas of one day. The Mexican people before the consummation of their independence"). Over the course of 57 years, Ocampo López has been the author of 100 books, co-authored 47 and published 200 studies in specialized literature and national and international newspapers.Javier Ocampo, 'Señor historiador' con más de 100 libros de su autoría – 2013
– El Tiempo – Retrieved 23 April 2016 In 1960 he taught at the ''Colegio Nacional Académico'' in Cartago ( Valle del Cauca) and from 1963 at the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia in Tunja. Ocampo wrote several biographies about Colombian historical figures;

presidents President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, generals and others; Antonio Villavicencio, Julián Trujillo Largacha,

Santos Gutiérrez José Santos Gutiérrez Prieto was a Colombian statesman and soldier, who became president of the Sovereign State of Boyacá, and later elected as president of the United States of Colombia for the term of 1868-1870.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ...

, María Antonia Santos Plata,

Manuel Antonio Sanclemente Manuel Antonio Sanclemente Sanclemente (September 19, 1814–March 12, 1902) was President of Colombia between 1898 and 1900.Gobernantes Colombianos, Ignacio Arismendi Posada, Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición, Page 141, Bogotá ...

Eustorgio Salgar Eustorgio Salgar Moreno Salazar (1831–1885) was a Colombian lawyer, general and political figure, who was president of the United States of Colombia from 1870 until 1872. Elected at age 39, he was the youngest president of Colombia. Biographi ...

Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian Army general, civil engineer and dictator who ruled as 19th President of Colombia as from June 1953 to May 1957. Rojas Pinilla gained prominence as a colonel during L ...

, Manuel Rodríguez Torices,

Antonio José de Sucre Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" ( en, "Grand Marshal of Ayacucho"), was a Venezuelan independence leader who served as the president of Peru and as the second p ...

, José Miguel Pey, José Manuel Marroquín, Carlos Holguín, José de Obaldía, José Eusebio Otálora. A public library in his birthplace Aguadas has been named in his honour.

Works

This list is a selection.

Books

* 2013 – ''Mitos y leyendas indígenas de Colombia'' * 2011 – ''El proceso ideológico de la independencia'' * 2007 – ''Grandes culturas indígenas de América'' * 2006 – ''El folclor y las fiestas en Colomba'' * 2006 – ''Mitos, leyendas y relatos colombianos'' * 2001 – ''Mitos y leyendas de Antioquia la Grande'' * 1996 – ''Leyendas populares colombianas'' * 1977 – ''El pueblo boyacense y su folclor''

Articles

* 1993 – ''Fiestas religiosas y romerías. El abigarrado mundo de las devociones populares en Colombia'' * 1974 – ''El proceso ideológico de la emancipación'' * 1970 – ''La artesanía popular boyacense y su importancia en la geografía turística y económica''''La artesanía popular boyacense y su importancia en la geografía turística y económica''
– Retrieved 23 April 2016

References

Notable works by Ocampo López

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ocampo Lopez 1939 births 21st-century Colombian historians 20th-century Colombian historians Colombian folklorists Muisca scholars Living people National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia people Muisca mythology and religion