Víctor Carranza
Víctor Carranza Niño (8 October 1935 – 4 April 2013), often referred to as ''Don Víctor'' was a Colombian emerald dealer and the owner of emerald mines in the Boyacá mountains (a forested area not far from Bogotá), widely known as Colombia's "emerald czar." The economy of the area around the mines is dependent on the trade. Carranza faced several legal challenges and investigations throughout his life. In 1998, he was arrested and imprisoned on charges of forming paramilitary groups. In 2012, he was again investigated for alleged links to paramilitary activities and crimes such as homicide, forced displacement, and conspiracy. Early life Víctor Carranza was born in the small town of Guateque, Boyacá, in a very poor family of farmers and pig growers. He had dropped school already at 2nd grade, and by age 8 he was already involved in emerald business, by scratching the soil for the gemstones, and then a few years later as a mine worker in Chivor. He started making mo ...
[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  

Guateque
Guateque is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the subregion of the Eastern Boyacá Province. Guateque's urban center is located at an altitude of on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at distances of from the department capital Tunja and from Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It borders the municipalities of La Capilla, Tenza, Sutatenza, Somondoco of Boyacá and Tibiritá and Manta of Cundinamarca.Official website Guateque

Etymology

Guateque is derived from the original name ''Guatoc'', meaning "Stream of the ravine" or "Lord of the winds".
- Excelsio.net

History

In th ...
[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]