Tabio is a municipality and town of

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

in the department of Cundinamarca. It is located from

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

. The town was officially founded April 8, 1603, by Diego Gómez de Mena, on grounds that were the property of the native

Muisca The Muisca (also called the Chibcha) are indigenous peoples in Colombia and were a Pre-Columbian culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The Muisca spe ...

who inhabited the area. Tabio borders Zipaquirá in the north, Cajicá in the east, Subachoque in the west and Tenjo in the south.Official website Tabio
/ref>

Etymology

The name Tabio comes from the

Chibcha The Muisca (also called the Chibcha) are indigenous peoples in Colombia and were a Pre-Columbian cultures of Colombia, Pre-Columbian culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish colonizati ...

word ''Teib'' meaning "dent" or "hole", which refers to its geographical location, next to the mouth of the Río Frío (also called Sinca).

History

The

occupied the current location of Tabio before the Spanish conquest, and were largely devoted to agriculture. The Muisca tribe comprised two confederations of small tribes, the Hunza of the northern area, whose sovereign was called ''

zaque When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''Zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Muyquytá. The ''Zaque'' was the ruler of the ...

'', and the Bacatá of the southern area, whose sovereign was the ''

zipa When the Spain, Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''Zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Funza, Muyquytá. The ''Zaque'' was the ...

'', and which included the territory of Tabio. The natural hot springs in Tabio were famous among the Muisca, and they were said to have a temple there devoted to the Goddess of Waters. Under the Spanish conquest, the native Muisca were expropriated and the area was put under a colonial rule that issued the foundation of Tabio in 1603.

Economy

Secondary and tertiary economic sectors are relatively underdeveloped in Tabio. Main industrial crops are devoted to

floriculture Floriculture (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found ...

. Potatoes, corn, peas, and carrots are also cultivated.

Tourism

Tabio is well known for its natural hot springs, which are said to have therapeutic properties. It is also known for the annual festival of torbellino, a traditional Andean Colombian dance.

Climate

Gallery

References

{{Municipalities cundinamarca department Municipalities of Cundinamarca Department Villages in Colombia Populated places established in 1603 1603 establishments in the Spanish Empire Populated places of the Muisca Confederation