Tabio is a municipality and town 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 ...

in the

department 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, ...

of Cundinamarca. It is located at from

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 larges ...

. 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 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 ...

who inhabited the area. Tabio borders

Zipaquirá Zipaquirá () is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Cogua and Nemocón to the north; Tocancipá to the east; Tabio, Cajicá and Sopó to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho ...

in the north,

Cajicá Cajicá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca, north of the capital Bogotá. It is located in the Central Savanna Province, being the third most populous municipality in the province after Zipaquirá and Chía ...

in the east,

Subachoque Subachoque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Western Savanna Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca. The municipality is situated on the Bogotá savanna with the urban centre at an altitude of at a distance of from the c ...

in the west and

Tenjo Tenjo is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Central Savanna Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre is located at an altitude of on the Bogotá savanna. Tenjo is part of the Metropolitan Area of Bogotá and bor ...

in the south.Official website Tabio
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Etymology

The name Tabio comes from the

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 ...

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 ''hoa'' was the ruler of the n ...

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

zipa 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 ''hoa'' was the ruler of the n ...

'', 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, or flower farming, is a branch of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development of new varieties by plant breeding is ...

. 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 ''Whirlwind'' (Spanish: ''Torbellino'') is a 1941 Spanish comedy film directed by Luis Marquina and starring Estrellita Castro, Manuel Luna and Tony D'Algy Tony D'Algy (born Antonio Eduardo Lozano Guedes; 1897 – 29 April 1977) was a Por ...

, a traditional Andean Colombian dance.

Gallery

References

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