Sumapaz is the 20th locality of

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the largest ...

, capital of Colombia. It is the largest of Bogotá's 20 localities, starting in the north at the edge of the urban frontier with

Usme Usme is the 5th locality of the Capital District of Bogotá, capital city of Colombia. Usme is located in the south of Bogotá, bordering to the north the localities of San Cristóbal, Rafael Uribe Uribe and Tunjuelito, to the west the locali ...

and stretching to the south at the border of Cundinamarca with the departments of

Meta Meta (from the Greek μετά, '' meta'', meaning "after" or "beyond") is a prefix meaning "more comprehensive" or "transcending". In modern nomenclature, ''meta''- can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or ende ...

and Huila. It is completely rural, with no city services.

History

The

Sumapaz Páramo Sumapaz Páramo (Spanish: ''Páramo de Sumapaz'' - meaning "Utterly peaceful moorland" ) is a large páramo ecosystem located in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense mountain range, considered the largest páramo ecosystem in the world. It was d ...

, covering most of the locality, was a sacred site for the indigenous

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 l ...

in pre-Columbian times. In the 16th century, it was discovered by

conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

led by

Nicolaus Federmann Nikolaus Federmann ( es, link=no, Nicolás Féderman, ) (c. 1505, Ulm – February 1542, Valladolid) was a German adventurer and conquistador in what is modern-day Venezuela and Colombia. He is a significant figure in the history of Klein-Venedi ...

in their quest for ''

El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or kin ...

''. It has been the stage for several rural conflicts, including those of 1928 and 1946.

La Violencia ''La Violencia'' (, The Violence) was a ten-year civil war in Colombia from 1948 to 1958, between the Colombian Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party, fought mainly in the countryside. ''La Violencia'' is considered to have beg ...

of 1948 gave rise to the formation of the guerrilla groups still present in Colombia. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Colombian army took the territory from guerrilla hands as part of a counter-guerrilla strategy of president

Álvaro Uribe Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010. Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia. He held offices in th ...

Economy

The population is dependent on small-scale farming and livestock.

General information

Borders

* North: The locality of

* East: The municipalities of

Une Une is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Eastern Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre is located at an altitude of at a distance of from the capital Bogotá. The municipality borders Chipaque in the nort ...

and

Gutiérrez Gutiérrez (, , ) is a Spanish surname meaning "son of Gutier / Gutierre". '' Gutierre'' is a form of ''Gualtierre'', Spanish form of Walter. Gutiérrez is the Spanish form of the English surnames Walters, Watkins, and Watson, and has Germanic e ...

and the department of Meta * South: The department of Huila * West: The municipalities of Cabrera,

Venecia Venecia is the Spanish name for Venice. It may also refer to: * Venecia, Antioquia, town and municipality in Colombia * Venecia, Bogotá, neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia * Venecia, Cundinamarca, town and municipality in Colombia * Venecia (Tran ...

, San Bernardo,

Arbeláez Arbeláez () is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department, Colombia. It borders Fusagasugá, Pasca and other municipalities of the Sumapaz Province. Arbeláez is recognized as a quiet and friendly city of Colombia. It is known for ...

, and

Pasca 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 from the capital Bogotá. It borders Fus ...

Hydrology

Within the borders of the locality, several rivers are formed, mostly within

Sumapaz National Park Sumapaz is the 20th locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is the largest of Bogotá's 20 localities, starting in the north at the edge of the urban frontier with Usme and stretching to the south at the border of Cundinamarca with the depa ...

. The two largest rivers are the Pilar and

Sumapaz River The Sumapaz River ( es, Río Sumapaz) is a major tributary of the Magdalena River in Colombia. The long river originates in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes at the largest páramo in the world; Sumapaz, of which it takes its name. It fo ...

, the latter flowing into the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River ( es, Río Magdalena, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much o ...

Points of interest

* Ecoparque Chinauta

References

External links

*
Video about Sumapaz
*
National University of Colombia site about Sumapaz
{{Bogota DC Localities of Bogotá Altiplano Cundiboyacense Muisca Confederation Muysccubun