Sogamoso () is a city in the department of
Boyacá of
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 the capital of the
Sugamuxi Province
The Sugamuxi Province () is a subregion of the Colombian Department of Boyacá. The subregion is formed by 13 municipalities.
Etymology
The name of the province comes from Sugamuxi, the last ''iraca'' of the Muisca and means in Chibcha: "Dwell ...
, named after the original Sugamuxi. Sogamoso is nicknamed "City of the Sun", based on the original
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 ...
tradition of pilgrimage and adoring their Sun god
Sué
Sué, Xué, Sua, Zuhe or Suhé was the deity, god of the Sun in the Muisca religion and mythology, religion of the Muisca. He was married to Moon goddess Chía (goddess), Chía.Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.4, p.33 The Muisca people, Muisca and their Mu ...
at the
Sun Temple
A sun temple (or solar temple) is a building used for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, dedicated to the sun or a solar deity. Such temples were built by a number different cultures and are distributed around the ...
. The city is located at an altitude of on the
Altiplano Cundiboyacense
The Altiplano Cundiboyacense () is a high plateau located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes covering parts of the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca. The Alti ...
in the
Eastern Ranges
The Eastern Ranges is an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition.
The club is a founding member of the competition (1992) and has produced several players for the Australian Football Leagu ...
of the Colombian
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
.
Etymology
Sogamoso is named after Sugamuxi or Suamox, the original name in
Chibcha
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 ...
for the city and
Sugamuxi
Sugamuxi (died 1539) was the last ''iraca''; ''cacique'' of the sacred City of the Sun Sogamoso, Suamox. Sugamuxi, presently called Sogamoso, was an important city in the Muisca religion, religion of the Muisca people, Muisca who inhabited the Al ...
, the last ''
iraca
The ''iraca'', sometimes spelled ''iraka'',Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.12, p.77Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.14, p.85 was the ruler and high priest of Sugamuxi in the confederation of the Muisca who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense; the central high ...
'' of the sacred City of the Sun. Suamuxi means "Dwelling of the Sun".
[Etymology Sogamoso]
- Excelsio.net Knowledge about Sugamuxi has been provided by
Pedro Simón
''Fray'' Pedro Simón ( San Lorenzo de la Parrilla, Spain, 1574 - Ubaté, New Kingdom of Granada, ca. 1628) was a Spanish franciscan friar, professor and chronicler of the indigenous peoples of modern day Colombia and Venezuela, at the time for ...
and the German countess
Gertrud von Podewils Dürniz, in her work ''Chigys Mie''.
Geographical limits
Sogamoso limits with the following municipalities:
[Official website Sogamoso]
/ref>
* north: Nobsa
Nobsa is a town and municipality in Sugamuxi Province, part of Boyacá department. The urban centre is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at from the national capital Bogotá at an elevation of . Other parts of the municipality range in ...
and Tópaga
* east: Tópaga, Monguí
Monguí is a town and municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ...
and Aquitania
Gallia Aquitania ( , ), also known as Aquitaine or Aquitaine Gaul, was a province of the Roman Empire. It lies in present-day southwest France, where it gives its name to the modern region of Aquitaine. It was bordered by the provinces of Gallia ...
- 3030 m
* south: Aquitania, Cuítiva and Iza
* west: Tibasosa
Tibasosa () is a municipality in the Sugamuxi Province, part of the Colombian department of Boyacá. Tibasosa borders Duitama and Nobsa in the north, Nobsa and Sogamoso in the east, Firavitoba in the south and Paipa in the west. , Firavitoba
Firavitoba is a town and municipality in Sugamuxi Province, a subregion of the department of Boyacá in Colombia.
Before Spanish colonization, Firavitoba was part of the Muisca Confederation of the Chibcha people in the highlands of the Cordille ...
Climate
Sogamoso has a temperate climate with an average temperature of 20 °C.
History
Before the Spanish conquest
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predece ...
, Suamox, as it was called, was ruled by the ''iraca
The ''iraca'', sometimes spelled ''iraka'',Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.12, p.77Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.14, p.85 was the ruler and high priest of Sugamuxi in the confederation of the Muisca who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense; the central high ...
'' of which the last ruler was called Sugamuxi
Sugamuxi (died 1539) was the last ''iraca''; ''cacique'' of the sacred City of the Sun Sogamoso, Suamox. Sugamuxi, presently called Sogamoso, was an important city in the Muisca religion, religion of the Muisca people, Muisca who inhabited the Al ...
. The city was a place of pilgrimage and the ''iraca'' was both priest and ruler housed in the Sun Temple
A sun temple (or solar temple) is a building used for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, dedicated to the sun or a solar deity. Such temples were built by a number different cultures and are distributed around the ...
, a richly ornamented temple honouring Sué
Sué, Xué, Sua, Zuhe or Suhé was the deity, god of the Sun in the Muisca religion and mythology, religion of the Muisca. He was married to Moon goddess Chía (goddess), Chía.Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.4, p.33 The Muisca people, Muisca and their Mu ...
, the Sun god in the Muisca religion
Muisca religion describes the religion of the Muisca people, Muisca who inhabited the central highlands of the Colombian Andes before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca. The Muisca formed a Muisca Confederation, confederation of holy Muisca ruler ...
.
Conquest and New Kingdom of Granada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada y Rivera, also spelled as Ximénez and De Quezada, (;1496 16 February 1579) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in northern South America, territories currently known as Colombia. He explored the territory named ...
was the conquistador
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, O ...
of the Muisca Confederation
The Muisca Confederation was a loose confederation of different Muisca rulers (''zaques'', ''zipas'', '' iraca'', and ''tundama'') in the central Andean highlands of present-day Colombia before the Spanish conquest of northern South America. The ...
, arriving in Suamox territories (Iraca Valley) in September 1537. Soldiers of De Quesada -according to Spanish chroniclers accidentally- set the Sun Temple on fire. Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita
Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita (1624, Bogotá – March 29, 1688) was a Spanish Neogranadine Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Panamá (1676–1688) ''(in Latin)''
and the Bishop of Santa Marta (1668–1676).Arzobispo de Pa ...
narrates about the march of De Quesada to Suamox, the looting of the city and the fire of the temple of the Sun.
Soon after the conquest, the missionaries began the construction of a chapel that would open the way to the first Catholic church of the time, located on the central square.
Natural scientist Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...
who visited the New Kingdom of Granada
The New Kingdom of Granada ( es, Nuevo Reino de Granada), or Kingdom of the New Granada, was the name given to a group of 16th-century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed by the president of the Royal Audience of Santa ...
at the beginning of the 19th century, wrote about Sogamoso in his chronicles.
Suamox in Muisca history
Administrative division
According to the political Map – administrative Number 41ª, del Plan of Territorial Classification 1999–2010, in February of the year 2000, the city was conformed by 18 veredas:
Neighbourhoods
Sogamoso is composed of 70 neighbourhoods.Map of the neighbourhoods
/ref>
l. Alamos del sur 2. Álvaro González Santana 3. Angelmar 4. Benjamín Herrera 5. Campoamor 6. Centro
7. Chapinero 8. Chicamocha 9. Colombia 10. El Cortez 11. El Diamante 12. El Durazno
13. El Jardín 14. El Laguito 15. El Nogal 16. El Oriente 17. El Prado 18. El Recreo
19. El Rosario 20. El Sol 21. El Carmen 22. Gustavo Jiménez Jiménez 23. Jorge Eliécer Gaitán 24. José Antonio Galán
25. Juan José Rondón 26. La Castellana 27. La Esmeralda 28. La Florida 29. La Isla 30. La Pradera
31. La Villita 32. Las Acacias 33. Las Américas 34. Los Alisos 35. Los Alpes 36. Los Arrayanes
37. Los Libertadores 38. Los Rosales 39. Los Sauces 40. Lunapark 41. Magdalena 42. Monquirá
43. Enrique Olaya Herrera 44. Prado Norte 45. Rafael Uribe Uribe 46. San Andresito 47. San Cristóbal 48. San Martín
49. San Martín- Centro 50. Santa Ana- Mochacá 51. Santa Bárbara 52. Santa Catalina 53. Santa Helena 54. Santa Inés
55. San Rafael 56. Santa Isabel 57. Santa Marta 58. Siete de Agosto 59. Simón Bolívar 60. Sucre
61. Sugamuxi 62. Universitario 63. Rafael Valdés Tavera 64. Veinte de Julio 65. Venecia 66. Villa Blanca
67. Villa del Sol 68. Asodea 69. Villa del Lago 70. Valdez Tavera
Economy
The economy of Sogamoso is centered around agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
, trade, the steel industry
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
and construction materials
This is a list of building materials. Many types of building materials are used in the construction industry to create buildings and structures.
These categories of materials and products are used by architects and construction project managers t ...
, and in the exploitation of limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
s, marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
and coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
.[
During the years 2007 and 2008, the city had a quick development in urban construction.
]
Transportation
Sogamoso is served by Alberto Lleras Camargo Airport
Alberto Lleras Camargo Airport is a high-elevation airport southwest of the city of Sogamoso in the Boyacá Department of Colombia.
The airport and city lie in a broad valley between two north–south ridges of the eastern Colombian Andes mount ...
. Aerocivil
The Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia ( es, Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil, also known as ''Aeronáutica Civil'', ''Aerocivil'' or UAEAC) is a government agency of the Colombian Ministry of Transport. It is the agency in c ...
lifted the restriction of air operations in September 2009.
Due to the increase of economic relationships with Bogotá and the rest of the region, the government realised the need to build a highway.
Education
As of 2016, Sogamoso has seven universities:
* Sogamoso Faculty of Pedagogical and Technological University Of Colombia, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia
The Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia (), also known as "La UPTC", is a national public university in Colombia with main campus in Tunja and presence in the country's seven departments.
The university has a headquarters, thre ...
(UPTC)
* Open National University at Distance
* University Corporation Remington
* Polytechnic Grancolombiano
* University of Pamplona
* Superior school of Public Administration E.S.A.P.
* Sogamoso Faculty of the University of Boyacá
Culture
Sites of interest
The city hosts historical places as:
* Archaeology Museum Sogamoso, with a reconstruction of the Sun Temple
A sun temple (or solar temple) is a building used for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, dedicated to the sun or a solar deity. Such temples were built by a number different cultures and are distributed around the ...
* Central park
* 6 September square
* The Pile-Mochacá, from the ancient city "the old Sogamoso"
* Morca, where the Virgin Of Morca is venerated
* Nearby Lake Tota
Lake Tota ( es, Lago de Tota) is the largest lake in Colombia, located in the east of Boyacá department, inside the Sugamuxi Province, it is the source of the Upia River which flows into the Orinoco River basin.
The major town on the lake is ...
, largest lake of Colombia and sacred site of the Muisca
Festivals and celebrations
* September 6: Anniversary of the city
* July: Festivities of the Sun and of the Steel
* Huán Festival, recreation of the indigenous ceremony of the adoration of the Sun
* September: International Festival of The Culture
* October: Festival of the corn
* October: Festival of the mud
Radio stations of Sogamoso
* Rumba Stereo 106.1 FM
* Tropicana Stereo 107.3 FM
* Sun Stereo 99.1 FM
* RCN Basic Radio 1200 AM
* Caracol Radio 1090 AM
* RCN Antenna 2 1440 AM
* 96.1 FM
Born in Sogamoso
* Elkin Barrera
Elkin Gilberto Barrera Chapparo (born July 6, 1971 in Sogamoso, Boyacá) is a retired male road cyclist from Colombia, who was a professional rider from 1995 to 2000.
Career
;1995
:4th in General Classification Vuelta a Colombia (COL)
;1996
: ...
, former professional cyclist
* Henry Cárdenas, former professional cyclist
* Edgar Corredor
Edgar Corredor (born 24 February 1960) is a Colombian former professional racing cyclist. He rode in four editions of the Tour de France and five editions of the Vuelta a España.
Major results
;1982
:8th Overall Vuelta a Colombia
::1st Stages ...
, former professional cyclist
* Camilo Gómez
Camilo Andrés Gómez Archila (born 5 October 1984 in Sogamoso, Boyacá) is a Colombian former professional road racing cyclist.
Major results
;2003
:1st Stage 1 Vuelta a Colombia Under-23
;2005
:10th Overall Clásico RCN
;2007
:3rd Overall ...
, professional cyclist
* Chepe González
José Jaime González Pico (born July 28, 1968, in Sogamoso, Boyacá Department, Boyacá), also known as Chepe González, is a Colombian people, Colombian former road bicycle racer. He won stages in Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. He also wo ...
, former professional cyclist
* Luis Alfredo López, former professional cyclist
* Fabio Parra
Fabio Enrique Parra Pinto (born November 22, 1959 in Sogamoso, Boyacá) is a retired Colombian road racing cyclist. Parra was successful as an amateur in Colombia, winning the ''Novatos'' classification for new riders or riders riding their fi ...
, former professional cyclist
* Humberto Parra
Humberto Parra (born 3 September 1964) is a former Colombian bicycle racing, racing cyclist. He rode in the 1989 Tour de France and the 1989 Vuelta a España. His brothers, Fabio Parra, Fabio and Iván Parra, Iván were also racing cyclist.
Refe ...
, former professional cyclist
* Iván Parra
Iván Ramiro Parra Pinto (born 14 October 1975 in Sogamoso) is a Colombian former road bicycle racer, who competed professionally for Petróleos de Colombia, , , , Cafes Baque, , , and . Parra comes from a Colombian cycling family. His father, ...
, former professional cyclist
* Alfonso Patiño Rosselli
Alfonso Patiño Rosselli (1923 – 7 November 1985) was a Colombian jurist and diplomat who died in the 1985 Palace of Justice Siege by the M-19 where he was a Magistrate and President of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Colo ...
, Colombian diplomat
* Álvaro Sierra, former professional cyclist
* Íkaro Valderrama, Latin-Siberian folk musician
Gallery
File:Vista Panorámica Plaza De La Villa Sogamoso.jpg, Central square
File:Plaza De La Villa - Costado Norte - Edificio Intercontinental.jpg, Central square
File:Plaza De La Villa - Monumento Al Sol De Espaldas.jpg, Monument to the Sun on the central square
File:Monumento al sol.JPG, Monument to the Sun and cathedral
File:Monumento al Sol y Catedral San martín Sogamoso.jpg, Cathedral by night
File:Morca 03.JPG, Church in the vereda Morcá
File:Plaza De Toros La Pradera - Sogamoso.jpg, Bull fighting arena
File:Teatro Sogamoso (Sogamoso).jpg, Theatre
File:Malokas.jpg, Reconstruction of Muisca houses in the Archaeology Museum
File:Templo del sol.jpg, Reconstruction of the Sun Temple
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
*
General information on Sogamoso
{{Authority control