Gachalá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the

Guavio Province The Guavio Province ( es, Provincia del Guavio) is one of the 15 provinces in the Cundinamarca department, Colombia. Guavio borders the Capital District of Bogotá and the Central Savanna Province to the west, to the north the Almeidas Province, t ...

, part of the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre of Gachalá is situated at a distance of from the capital Bogotá at an altitude of 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 Leag ...

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 ...

. The municipality borders the western portion of the split municipality

Ubalá Ubalá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. It is located in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. It is the only municipality of Cundinamarca that is split in two parts. Climate Etymology In the C ...

and the department of Boyacá in the north, the eastern part of Ubalá and

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...

in the east,

Fómeque Fómeque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia, department of Cundinamarca Department, Cundinamarca. Municipalities of Cundinamarca Department {{Cundinamarca-geo-stub ...

, Junín and Gama in the west and Fómeque, Medina and the department of Meta in the south.Official website Gachalá
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Etymology

The name of Gachalá is derived from

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 lan ...

and means "clay vessel of the night" or "defeat of the night".Gachalá, Cundinamarca
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History

Before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, Gachalá was inhabited by the Chío tribe, belonging to the

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 ...

. As of 1548, the terrain of Gachalá belonged to the '' cacique'' of

Guatavita Guatavita is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Guavio Province of the department of Cundinamarca. Guatavita is located 75 km northeast of the capital Bogotá. It borders Sesquilé and Machetá in the north, Gachetá and Junín in ...

. Modern Gachalá was founded on February 22, 1810, by Mariano de Mendoza y Bueno.

Economy

Main economical activity in Gachalá is the hydroelectric plant of the Guavio Reservoir. Also emerald mining is an important source of income for Gachalá. The

Gachalá Emerald The Gachalá Emerald, one of the most valuable and famous emeralds in the world, was found in 1967, in the mine called Vega de San Juan, located in Gachala, a town in Colombia, located from Bogota. Gachalá Chibcha means "place of Gacha." Pre ...

was found in and named after Gachalá.

Born in Gachalá

* Gonzalo Correal Urrego, anthropologist and archaeologist

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gachala Municipalities of Cundinamarca Department Populated places established in 1810 1810 establishments in the Spanish Empire