Pasca is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia located in the Andes. It belongs to the Sumapaz Province. Pasca is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at a distance of from the capital Bogotá. It borders Fusagasugá, Sibaté and Soacha in the north, Bogotá D.C. in the north and east, Arbeláez in the south and Fusagasugá in the west. Is the entrance to the Páramo del Sumapaz, the biggest ecosystem in its genre in the world. The urban center is located at an altitude of and the altitude ranges from to . Official website Pasca
Etymology Pasca in the Chibcha language means "father's enclosure", according to Acosta Ortegón. (1999) Notas sobre toponimia en algunas coplas colombianas Thesaurus. Tomo LIV, Núm. 3. page 1122.
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. Banco de la Republica: Exposición del Museo del Oro del Banco de la República en Bogotá Explanation of the metallurgy of the Muisca raft by Eduardo Londoño - Museo del Oro 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
Gallery
See also
El Dorado Juan de Céspedes Archeological Museum of Pasca, Sumapaz National Park
References
External links Photos of pre-Columbian art found in Pasca