Cajicá

Flag

Seal

Nickname(s): "Fortaleza de Piedra"
("The Stone Fortress")

Location of the town and municipality of Cajicá in the department of Cundinamarca

Coordinates: CO 4°55′N 74°02′W / 4.917°N 74.033°WCoordinates: CO 4°55′N 74°02′W / 4.917°N 74.033°W

Country

Colombia

Department

Cundinamarca

Province

Central Savanna Province

Foundation

Pre-Columbian

Area

• City

50.4 km² (19.5 sq mi)

• Urban

2.73 km² (1.05 sq mi)

• Metro

49.0 km² (18.9 sq mi)

Elevation

2,558 m (8,392 ft)

Population (2010)

• City

22,030

• Density

440/km² (1,100/sq mi)

• Urban

22,027

• Metro

44,057

Website

www.cajica-cundinamarca.gov.co

Cajicá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca, 39 km (24 mi) north of the capital Bogotá. It is located in the province of Central Savannah, being the third most populous municipality in the province after Zipaquirá and Chía. It is bordered by the municipalities of Zipaquirá to the north, Sopó to the east, Chía to the south, and Tabio to the west. The town is located at an altitide of 2,558 metres (8,392 ft) and has an average temperature of 14 °C (57 °F).

Origins

The name of Cajicá derives from a corruption of the two words cercado (fortress) and jica (stone), giving rise to its nickname of "The Stone Fortress". The original native Indian settlement was on the road between Zipaquirá and Tabio roughly on the site known today as Las Manas. This was the site where the vanguard of the conquistador army of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada first encountered the natives on March 23, 1537.

A description of Cajicá from 1593 lists a population of 776 native Indians. The date of the Spanish foundation of the town is considered to be March 5, 1598, when Juan de Hoyo began the construction of the first church of brick, under the orders of Judge Miguel de Ibarra. Both the original and successive churches were destroyed by earthquakes: the town's present church was begun towards the end of the 19th century and completed in 1930.

Some 75% of the land of the present day municipality is used for agriculture, but the town also derives a sizeable proportion of its income as a nearby country retreat for wealthy Bogotanos, including country villas and high-end restaurants.

External links

(Spanish) : FOTW: Flag and Coat of Arms of Cajica

Provinces and Municipalities in Cundinamarca Department

Almeidas Province	Chocontá Machetá Manta Sesquilé Suesca Tibiritá Villapinzón

Upper Magdalena Province	Agua de Dios Girardot Guataquí Jerusalén Nariño Nilo Ricaurte Tocaima

Lower Magdalena Province	Caparrapí Guaduas Puerto Salgar

Gualivá Province	Albán La Peña La Vega Nimaima Nocaima Quebradanegra San Francisco Sasaima Supatá Útica Vergara Villeta

Guavio Province	Gachalá Gachetá Gama Guasca Guatavita Junín La Calera Ubalá

Central Magdalena Province	Beltrán Bituima Chaguaní Guayabal de Síquima Puli San Juan de Rioseco Vianí

Medina Province	Medina Paratebueno

Eastern Province	Cáqueza Chipaque Choachí Fómeque Fosca Guayabetal Gutiérrez Quetame Ubaque Une

Rionegro Province	El Peñón La Palma Pacho Paime San Cayetano Topaipí Villagómez Yacopí

Central Savanna Province	Cajicá Chía Cogua Cota Gachancipá Nemocón Sopó Tabio Tenjo Tocancipá Zipaquirá

Western Savanna Province	Bojacá El Rosal Facatativá Funza Madrid Mosquera Subachoque Zipacón

Soacha Province	Sibaté Soacha

Sumapaz Province	Arbeláez Cabrera Fusagasugá Granada Pandi Pasca San Bernardo Silvania Tibacuy Venecia

Tequendama Province	Anapoima Anolaima Apulo Cachipay El Colegio La Mesa Quipile San Antonio del Tequendama Tena Viotá

Ubaté Province	Carmen de Carupa Cucunubá Fúquene Guachetá Lenguazaque Simijacá Susa Sutatausa Tausa Ubaté

Metropolitan Area of Bogotá	Bogotá, Capital District

See also: List of municipalities in Cundinamarca

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