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 Car ...

. 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: ''Eku ...

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 = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Its capital is

Mocoa Mocoa () (Kamsá: Shatjok) is a municipality and capital city of the department of Putumayo in Colombia. The city is located in the northwest of the Putumayo department Putumayo () is a department of Southern Colombia. It is in the south- ...

. 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 widely ...

. 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 Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

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 and ...

, 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 so ...

, 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 and in the first

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

decades belonged to the "

Azuay Department Azuay Department was created with the 1824 reform of the subdivisions of Gran Colombia. * Cuenca Province - Capital: Cuenca. Cantons: Cuenca, Cañar, Gualaseo y Girón. * Loja Province - Capital: Loja. Cantons: Loja, Catacocha, Cariamanga y Z ...

", 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 Gr ...

. * 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. * 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