Tequendama Falls

Coordinates: 4°34′27″N 74°17′36″W / 4.57417°N 74.29333°W / 4.57417; -74.29333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Tequendama (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Tequendamita Falls.
Tequendama Falls
Salto del Tequendama
Tequendama Falls
Tequendama Falls is located in Colombia
Tequendama Falls
Map
LocationSoacha,
Cundinamarca,
Colombia
Coordinates4°34′27″N 74°17′36″W / 4.57417°N 74.29333°W / 4.57417; -74.29333
Elevation2,385 m (7,825 ft)
Total height132 m (433 ft)
Number of drops1
WatercourseBogotá River

The Tequendama Falls (

Tequendama, it holds historical significance as one of Colombia's earliest permanent settlements.[1] One of the country's tourist attractions, the falls are located in a forested area 32 kilometres (20 mi) west of Bogotá. The river surges through a rocky gorge that narrows to about 18 metres (59 ft) at the brink of the 132 metres (433 ft) high falls. During the month of December the falls become completely dry. The falls, once a common site for suicides,[2]
may be reached by road from Bogotá.

Muisca origin

See also: Muisca religion and mythology

In Chibcha, the nameTequendama translates to: "he who precipitated downward".[3] According to the

Muisca religion, the waterfall was created by the legendary hero Bochica, who used his staff to break the rock and release the water that covered the Bogotá savanna.[4]
According to another legend, during the Spanish conquest and evangelization of the Americas, in order to escape the new colonial order indigenous people of the area would jump off the Salto Del Tequendama and become eagles to fly to their freedom.

Recovery of the Falls and its surroundings

Main article:
Urban water management in Bogotá, Colombia

The river that feeds the falls is currently considered to be one of the most contaminated in the world.[5]

"The Tequendama Falls has the dubious honor of being the largest wastewater falls in the world. Liquid wastes from the city are flushed untreated into the Bogotá River at the lower edge of the sabana, a few kilometers upstream of the Tequendama Falls. Downstream from Bogotá, the river is filled with sewage."

A historic hotel building, now a museum that overlooks the waterfall is undergoing restoration aided by the French government.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ocampo López, 2007, p.27
  2. ^ Tequendama Falls - Encyclopædia Britannica
  3. ^ (in Spanish) Etymology Tequendama
  4. ISBN 0-89577-087-3
    .
  5. ^ (in Spanish) Contamination Tequendama Falls
  6. ^ (in Spanish) Casona del Tequendama recibe apoyo de Francia - El Tiempo

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salto del Tequendama.


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