Sotaquirá

Sotaquirá
Municipality and town
Flag
Location of the municipality and town of Sotaquirá in the Boyacá Department of Colombia
Country	Colombia
Department	Boyacá Department
Province	Central Boyacá Province
Founded	20 December 1582
Founded by	Friar Arturo Cabeza de Vaca
Government
• Mayor	Henry Santiago Suta Toca (2020-2023)
Area
• Municipality and town	288.65 km2 (111.45 sq mi)
• Urban	0.10 km2 (0.04 sq mi)
Elevation	2,860 m (9,380 ft)
Population  (2015)
• Municipality and town	7,709
• Density	27/km2 (69/sq mi)
• Urban	716
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
Website	Official website

Sotaquirá is a town and municipality in the Central Boyacá Province, part of the Colombian department of Boyacá. Sotaquirá is situated in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes with the small urban center at an altitude of 2,860 metres (9,380 ft) at 39 kilometres (24 mi) from Tunja. Sotaquirá is a highly rural municipality with 90% of the people living in rural areas and about 50% more cows than inhabitants. The municipality borders Tuta in the east, Paipa in the north, Gámbita, Santander in the west and Cómbita in the south.

History

Located on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Sotaquirá before the Spanish conquest was inhabited by the Muisca organized in their loose Muisca Confederation. Sotaquirá was ruled by the zaque of Hunza, present-day department capital Tunja. Modern Sotaquirá was founded on December 20, 1582 by friar Arturo Cabeza de Vaca.

Etymology

In the Chibcha language of the Muisca Sotaquirá means "Town of the sovereign".

Economy

Main economical activities of Sotaquirá are agriculture (barley, beans, potatoes, maize, peas and fruits as peaches, pear, prunes, apples, blackberries, strawberries, curuba, tree tomatoes and feijoa), livestock and dairy farming.