Ráquira

Ráquira
Ráquira
Municipality and town
	Church of Ráquira
	Flag
	Location of the municipality and town of Ráquira in the Boyacá Department of Colombia
Country	Colombia
Department	Boyacá Department
Province	Ricaurte Province
Founded	18 October 1580
Founded by	Francisco de Orejuela
Government
• Mayor	José Hernán Sierra Buitrago; (2020-2023)
Area
• Municipality and town	233 km2 (90 sq mi)
Elevation	2,150 m (7,050 ft)
Population (2015)
• Municipality and town	13,588
• Density	58/km2 (150/sq mi)
• Urban	3,425
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
Website	Official website

Ráquira, is a municipality and town in Boyacá Department, Colombia, part of the subregion of the Ricaurte Province. Ráquira is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and the urban center at an altitude of 2,150 metres (7,050 ft). It borders Tinjacá and Sutamarchán in the north, Guachetá, Cundinamarca in the south, in the east Sáchica and Samacá and in the west San Miguel de Sema and Lake Fúquene.^[1]

Etymology

In Chibcha, Ráquira means "Village of the pans".^[2]

History

The area of Ráquira was inhabited by the Muisca in the centuries before the Spanish conquest of the central highlands of the Colombian Andes. Already in those times Ráquira was famous for its ceramics due to the clay of the area.^[3]^[4]

In March 1537 conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada crossed the valley around Ráquira. Modern Ráquira was founded on October 18, 1580 by friar Francisco de Orejuela.^[1]

Economy

About three quarters of the economy of Ráquira is centered on the handcrafts. Other economical activities are agriculture, livestock farming and mining.^[1]

Tourism

Ráquira is famous in Colombia for its colony of artisans, who produce traditional northern Andean pottery & hand-woven goods. The Sunday market is especially a popular time to visit. Ráquira is also known for its colorful houses that contrast with the famous nearby town of Villa de Leyva.^[5]