Machetá | |
Settlement Type: | Municipality and town |
Mapsize: | 250px |
Pushpin Map: | Colombia |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Colombia |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Colombia |
Subdivision Type1: | Department |
Subdivision Type2: | Province |
Subdivision Name2: | Almeidas Province |
Leader Title: | Mayor |
Leader Name: | Rafael Mauricio Forero Briceño (2016-2019) |
Established Title: | Founded |
Established Date: | 1593 |
Founder: | Miguel de Ibarra |
Area Total Km2: | 229.35 |
Area Urban Km2: | 5.35 |
Population As Of: | 2015 |
Population Total: | 6316 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Population Urban: | 1498 |
Coordinates: | 5.0802°N -73.6075°W |
Timezone: | Colombia Standard Time |
Utc Offset: | -5 |
Elevation M: | 2094 |
Website: | Official website |
Machetá is a municipality and town of Colombia in Almeidas Province of the department of Cundinamarca. Machetá is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at 82.6km (51.3miles) from the capital Bogotá and 74.3km (46.2miles) from Tunja. It borders Tibiritá and Manta in the east, Chocontá and Sesquilé in the west and Guatavita and Gachetá in the south.[1]
In the Chibcha language of the Muisca, Machetá means "Your honourable farmfields".[1]
Machetá in the times before the Spanish conquest was inhabited by the Muisca, organized in their Muisca Confederation. Machetá was ruled by the zaque based in Hunza, currently known as the capital of Boyacá Department Tunja.
Modern Machetá was founded in 1593 by Miguel de Ibarra after a soldier of the army of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada first established the town in 1540.[2]
Main economical activity of Machetá is agriculture with products as papa criolla, arracacha, peas and tomatoes.[1]