Chitaraque

Chitaraque is a town and municipality in the Ricaurte Province, part of the Colombian department of Boyacá. The urban centre is located at a distance of 104.6 kilometres (65.0 mi) from the department capital Tunja and situated at an altitude of 1,575 metres (5,167 ft) in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. It borders Gámbita, Santander in the east and south, San José de Pare, Santana and Togüí in the west and Suaita, Santander in the north.^[1]

Chitaraque
Municipality and town
Entrance of Chitaraque
Flag
Location of the municipality and town of Chitaraque in the Boyacá Department of Colombia
Country	Colombia
Department	Boyacá Department
Province	Ricaurte Province
Founded	1 January 1621
Government
• Mayor	Fabián Armando Silva Sánchez (2020-2023)
Area
• Municipality and town	157.65 km2 (60.87 sq mi)
• Urban	0.185 km2 (0.071 sq mi)
Elevation	1,575 m (5,167 ft)
Population  (2015)
• Municipality and town	5,687
• Density	36/km2 (93/sq mi)
• Urban	1,131
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
Website	Official website

Etymology

The name Chitaraque comes from Chibcha and means "Our vigorous farmfields from before".^[1][2]

History

In the times before the Spanish conquest, Chitaraque was inhabited by the Poasaque tribe, belonging to the Muisca. It was ruled by the zaque of Hunza.

Modern Chitaraque was founded on January 1, 1621.^[1]

Economy

Main economical activities of Chitaraque are agriculture (panela production, coffee, bananas and yuca) and milk farming.^[1]