Turmequé

Turmequé is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the subregion of the Márquez Province. Turmequé is located at 105 kilometres (65 mi) northeast from the capital Bogotá. The municipality borders Ventaquemada in the west, in the east Úmbita, in the north Nuevo Colón and in the south the municipality Villapinzón of the department of Cundinamarca.

History

Turmequé was an important center for the Muisca people who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense before the arrival of the Spanish conquest led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, who founded modern Turmequé on July 20th, 1537 in his search for El Dorado. Turmequé was part of the Muisca Confederation led by the zaque based in Hunza, present-day department capital Tunja. The name of the village is Chibcha and means "vigorous chief". Another name for the town is Valle de las trompetas ("Trumpet Valley") because of the trumpets the Spanish conquistadores were bringing with them. Turmequé has given its name to the Colombian national game of tejo, previously called Turmequé. In the village center a statue honouring the Muisca sports god Chaquén still remembers this.

Before the municipality was split, it used to be extensive in area. In 1773 Villapinzón (then called Hato Viejo) became a separate unity and in 1776 Ventaquemada was separated from Turmequé.

Economy

The town center is for the most part focused on commerce and services while the rural area has agriculture; potatoes, beans, maize, onions, peas, wheat, barley and fruits such as prunes, blackberries, pears and apples and the typical Colombian fruits curuba and feijoa. Livestock farming consists of mainly pork.

Tourism

Being the birthplace of tejo, Turmequé has considerable amount of tourism. Each year the national championship of tejo are held here. The town also has a religious museum.

Gallery

• Turmequé. Plaza principal (Fotografía tomada en 1986)..jpg

  Central square

• Turmeque Plaza Marco.jpg

  Square

• Calles de Turmequé.JPG

  Street view

• Turmeque Panoramica.jpg

  View of Turmequé

• Turmequé bajo el abrigo de la cordillera oriental.JPG

  Turmequé with Cordillera Oriental in the background

• Monumento a los Indígenas.jpg

  Monument honouring the indigenous Muisca

• Monumento de la plaza principal de Turmequé.jpg

  Muisca monument at the central square

• Turmequé-Homenaje al Tejo (juego tradicional).JPG

  Monument honouring Muisca god Chaquén and tejo

• Monumento a los Indígenas-3.jpg

  Monument

• Turmequé "Jefe vigoroso", significado en el lenguaje Muisca.JPG

  Head of the statue

See also

• Chaquén