Chía (Colombia)

Chía
Coordinates: 4 ° 52 ′  N , 74 ° 3 ′  W Chía​ Chía on the map of Colombia
Location of the municipality of Chía on the map of Cundinamarca
Basic data
Country	Colombia
Department	Cundinamarca
City foundation	1537
Residents	138,822  (2019)
City insignia
Detailed data
surface	79 km 2
Population density	1,757 inhabitants / km 2
height	2600  m
Waters	Río Bogotá , Río Frío
Time zone	UTC -5
City Presidency	Luis Carlos Segura Rubiano (2020-2023)
Website	www.chia-cundinamarca.gov.co
Puente del Comun
Marroquín Castle
Sculpture of the moon goddess in the city center of Chía

Chia is a municipality ( municipio ) in the department of Cundinamarca in Colombia , which for metropolitan Bogotá belongs.

geography

Chía is located in Cundinamarca in the province of Sabana Centro about 10 km north of Bogotá at an altitude of about 2600 meters in the savannah of Bogotá . The transition to Bogotá is fluid. Chía is best known as a student city, thanks to one of the most prestigious universities in the whole country, the Universidad de la Sabana , founded in 1979, which is also the heart of the city. The municipality borders in the south on the boroughs of Usaquén and Suba in Bogotá and Cota , in the north on Cajicá , in the east on Sopó and in the west on Tabio and Tenjo . The rivers Río Bogotá and Río Frío flow through the municipality .

population

The municipality of Chía has 138,822 inhabitants, of which 109,172 live in the urban part (cabecera municipal) of the municipality (as of 2019).

history

The area was an important center of the Chibcha indigenous people before the arrival of the Spaniards , as the sanctuary of the moon deity was located there (in the Chibcha language Chía means "moon"). As the son of his eldest sister, the Kazike of Chía was traditionally the successor of the Kazike of Bacatá (Bogotá), next to Hunza ( Tunja ) one of the two political power centers of the Chibchas. The Spaniards under Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada reached the region in 1537.

tourism

The city is rich in history and the old town is relatively large by Colombian standards and has been a pedestrian zone for several years. The Castillo de Marroquín and the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Valvanera, which are located on the western mountain range and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city, are also of tourist interest . Also known is the Puente del Común bridge , which was built in 1792. The old train station is still served by the tourist train Tren Turístico de la Sabana every weekend . Typical of the gastronomy of Chía are Masato , Almojábanas , Chicha and Merengón .

Sports

In Chía the soccer club Chía FC was based, which played from 2003 to 2004 in the Colombian second division . However, the club sold its starting right to Academia FC in 2004 . The club played its home games at the Estadio La Luna .

Web links

Commons : Chía  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Alcaldía de Chía. Alcaldía de Chía - Cundinamarca, accessed on February 13, 2019 (Spanish, website of the municipality of Chía). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ESTIMACIONES DE POBLACIÓN 1985 - 2005 Y PROYECCIONES DE POBLACIÓN 2005 - 2020 TOTAL DEPARTAMENTAL POR ÁREA. (Excel; 1.72 MB) DANE, May 11, 2011, accessed on February 13, 2019 (Spanish, extrapolation of the population of Colombia). 
2. ^ François Correa: El imperio muisca: invención de la historia y colonialidad del poder . In: Los Muiscas. Muiscas: representaciones, cartografías y etnopolíticas de la memoria . Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá 2005, p. 217 .
3. ^ Información general. www.colombia.com, accessed February 13, 2019 (Spanish, information on the history of Chía). 
4. ↑ Sitios de interés. www.colombia.com, accessed February 13, 2019 (Spanish, information about places to visit in Chía).