Putumayo () is a department of Southern

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

. It is in the south-west of the country, bordering

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. Its capital is Mocoa. The word ''putumayo'' comes from the

Quechua languages Quechua (, ; ), usually called ("people's language") in Quechuan languages, is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. Derived from a common ancestral language, it is the most widel ...

. The verb ''p'utuy'' means "to spring forth" or "to burst out", and ''mayu'' means river. Thus it means "gushing river".

History

Originally, the southwestern area of the department belonged to the Cofán Indians, the northwestern to the Kamentxá Indians, the central and southern areas to tribes that spoke

Tukano languages Tucanoan (also Tukanoan, Tukánoan) is a language family of Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. Language contact Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Arutani, Paez, Sape, Taruma, Witoto-Okaina, Saliba-Hodi, ...

(such as the Siona), and the eastern to tribes that spoke

Witoto languages Witoto, or Huitoto, is an indigenous American language or language family spoken in Colombia and Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Gre ...

. Part of the Kamentxá territory was conquered by the Inca

Huayna Cápac Huayna Capac (with many alternative transliterations; 1464/1468–1524) was the third Sapan Inka of the Inca Empire, born in Tumipampa sixth of the Hanan dynasty, and eleventh of the Inca civilization. Subjects commonly approached Sapa Inkas addi ...

in 1492, who, after crossing the Cofán territory, established a Quechua population on the valley of

Sibundoy Sibundoy (Camsá: Tabanok "village") is a town and municipality in the Putumayo Department of the Republic of Colombia. The town existed well before the Spanish came in 1534. The Inca, under Huayna Cápac, conquered the local people in 1492 an ...

, known today as Ingas. After the

Inca defeat in 1533 The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, also known as the Conquest of Peru, was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. After years of preliminary exploration and military skirmishes, 168 Spanish sol ...

, the region was invaded by the Spanish in 1542, and from 1547 was administered by Catholic missions. The current territory of Putumayo was linked to Popayan during the

Spanish Colonial Period Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain ** Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries ** Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, C ...

and in the first Republican decades belonged to the " Azuay Department", which included territories in Ecuador and Perú. Later a long process of territorial redistributions began: * 1831:

Popayán Province Popayán Province was first a Spanish jurisdiction under the Royal Audience of Quito and the Royal Audience of Santafé , and after the independence one of the provinces of the Cauca Department (Gran Colombia), later becoming the Republic of New G ...

. * 1857: Estado Federal del Cauca. * 1886:

Cauca Department Cauca Department (, es, Departamento del Cauca) is a Department of Southwestern Colombia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department t ...

. * 1905: . * 1909: . * 1912: Comisaría Especial del Putumayo. * 1953:

Department of Nariño Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

. * 1957: Comisaría Especial del Putumayo. * 1968: Intendencia Especial del Putumayo. * 1991: Putumayo Department.

Municipalities

References

External links

Government of Putumayo official websiteTerritorial-Environmental Information System of Colombian Amazon SIAT-AC website
{{Authority control Departments of Colombia States and territories established in 1991 1991 establishments in Colombia

History

Municipalities

See also

References

External links