Chipatá, Santander

Chipatá is a town and municipality in the Vélez Province, part of the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia. The urban centre is situated at an altitude of 1,820 metres (5,970 ft) at a distance of 227 kilometres (141 mi) from the department capital Bucaramanga and at 237 kilometres (147 mi) from the national capital Bogotá. The municipality borders Vélez in the south and west, La Paz in the north, San Benito, Güepsa and Barbosa in the east.[1]

Chipatá
Municipality and town
Flag
Seal
Location of the municipality and town of Chipata in the Santander department of Colombia
Country Colombia
DepartmentSantander Department
ProvinceVélez Province
Founded8 March 1537
Founded byGonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Government
 • MayorBelisario Romero Chávez
(2016-2019)
Area
 • Municipality and town94.17 km2 (36.36 sq mi)
 • Urban
14.12 km2 (5.45 sq mi)
Elevation
1,820 m (5,970 ft)
Population
 (2015)
 • Municipality and town5,088
 • Density54/km2 (140/sq mi)
 • Urban
688
Time zoneUTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
WebsiteOfficial website

Etymology

Chipatá is named after cacique Chipatá and means in Chibcha: chi = "our", pa = "father", tá = "farmland"; "farmland of our father".[2][1]

History

The area of Chipatá was one of the northernmost territories of the Muisca, bordered by Guane territories to the north and east. It was ruled by a cacique, who was independent within the loose Muisca Confederation.

Modern Chipatá was the first settlement founded by conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and his brother, on March 8, 1537, during his expedition of conquest.[1]

After the local elections of October 2015, where Belisario Romero Chávez gained the position of mayor with a difference of 44 votes, supporters of his contestant Emilse Santamaría Castillo destroyed a school and molested the former mayor Argemiro Angulo.[3]

Economy

The main economical activities of Chipatá are agriculture and livestock farming. Among the agricultural products cultivated are maize, coffee, blackberries, pitaya, aloe, and stevia.[1]

References
  1. (in Spanish) Official website Chipatá
  2. Espejo Olaya, Maria Bernarda (1999). Notas sobre toponimia en algunas coplas colombianas [Notes about toponomy of some Colombian ballads - Thesaurus] (PDF) (in Spanish). Tomo LIV, Núm. 3. p. 1118.
  3. (in Spanish) Mayor molested after local elections of October 25, 2015

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