Pasca

Etymology

Pasca in the Chibcha language means "father's enclosure", according to Acosta Ortegón.

History

Pasca in the time before the Spanish conquest was inhabited by the Muisca, organized in their Muisca Confederation. The southern Muisca territories were ruled from Muyquytá, the current capital. On April 6, 1536 conquistadors Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and his brother started the strenuous march into the inner highlands of Colombia. With 209 men he arrived on March 12, 1537, in Guachetá. From there he led his army to conquer the villages of the Muisca on the Bogotá savanna.

One of his captains, Juan de Céspedes, reached Pasca in July 1537, founding modern Pasca on July 15. It was the last village of the Muisca to be conquered before heading south into the domain of the Sutagao.

Economy

Main economical activities in Pasca are livestock farming and agriculture, predominantly papa criolla, other potatoes, peas, onions, bunching onions, tree tomatoes, beans, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, blackberries, coriander and the Colombian fruits gulupa and curuba.

Archeology

The famous Muisca raft, traditionally interpreted as representing the ritual of El Dorado, was found in Pasca in 1969. The raft is now part of the Gold Museum collection in Bogotá.

The town contains an archaeological museum and a natural history museum.

Famous pasqueños

• Colombian poet and politician Adolfo León Gómez was born in Pasca and his grandmother, poet Josefa Acevedo de Gomez, lived and wrote her work here
• Native Zoratama lived in Pasca Ivan Ramiro Sosa cyclist winner of multiple races.

Climate

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815025712/http://www.ideam.gov.co/documents/21021/553571/Promedios%2BClimatol%C3%B3gicos%2B%2B1981%2B-%2B2010.xlsx/f28d0b07-1208-4a46-8ccf-bddd70fb4128 |archive-date=15 August 2016 |access-date= 17 June 2024 |url-status=dead}}

Gallery

File:Muisca raft Legend of El Dorado Offerings of gold.jpg|Muisca raft found in Pasca, depicting El Dorado ritual

References

References

1. {{in lang. es [http://www.pasca-cundinamarca.gov.co/informacion_general.shtml Official website Pasca] {{Webarchive. link. (2015-05-22)
2. {{in lang. es {{aut. Espejo Olaya, Maria Bernarda (1999) [http://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/thesaurus/pdf/54/TH_54_003_424_0.pdf Notas sobre toponimia en algunas coplas colombianas] Thesaurus. Tomo LIV, Núm. 3. page 1122.
3. {{in lang. es [http://banrep.org/museo/esp/expo_bogota4.htm Banco de la Republica: Exposición del Museo del Oro del Banco de la República en Bogotá]
4. {{in lang. Museo del Oro]]