Lenguazaque

Municipality and town in Cundinamarca, Colombia

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Location of the municipality and town inside Cundinamarca Department of Colombia

5°18′25″N 73°42′22″W / 5.30694°N 73.70611°W / 5.30694; -73.70611Country

ColombiaDepartment

CundinamarcaProvinceUbaté ProvinceFounded13 March 1537Founded byGonzalo Jiménez de QuesadaGovernment

• MayorCamilo Andrés Lara Gómez
(2016-2019)Area

• Municipality and town153.6 km² (59.3 sq mi)Elevation

2,589 m (8,494 ft)Population

(2015)

• Municipality and town10,268 • Density67/km² (170/sq mi) • Urban

2,282Time zoneUTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)WebsiteOfficial website

Lenguazaque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Lenguazaque is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, part of the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes at a distance of 116 kilometres (72 mi) from the capital Bogotá.^[1] It borders Guachetá in the north, Ubaté in the west, Cucunubá in the south and Villapinzón in the east.

History

In the time of the Muisca Confederation, before the Spanish conquest, Lenguazaque was ruled by the zaque of Hunza, currently known as Tunja, Boyacá. Modern Lenguazaque was founded by Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada early on in his conquest of the central highlands of Colombia, on March 13, 1537.^[1]

Lenguazaque in the Chibcha language of the Muisca means "end of the reign of the zaque".^[1]

Economy

The main economic activity in Lenguazaque is coal mining. Also agriculture is executed, predominantly potatoes and to a lesser extent peas, maize, barley and wheat.^[1]