Soacha
| Soacha | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality of Colombia | |||
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Bike path in Soacha | |||
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Motto: Latin: Sol omnibus lucet (The sun shines equally over everyone) | |||
 Location of Soacha in Cundinamarca | |||
  Soacha Location of Soacha in Cundinamarca | |||
| Coordinates: 04°35′14″N 74°13′17″W / 4.58722°N 74.22139°WCoordinates: 04°35′14″N 74°13′17″W / 4.58722°N 74.22139°W | |||
| Country |
 Colombia | ||
| Department |
 Cundinamarca | ||
| Province | Soacha | ||
| Founded | 15 August 1600 | ||
| Founded by | Luis Enríquez | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Municipality | ||
| • Mayor |
Eleázar González Casas (2016-2019) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Municipality of Colombia | 184.45 km2 (71.22 sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 19 km2 (7 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 2,565 m (8,415 ft) | ||
| Population (2016) | |||
| • Municipality of Colombia | 522,442 | ||
| • Density | 2,800/km2 (7,300/sq mi) | ||
| • Urban | 516,435 | ||
| • Urban density | 27,000/km2 (70,000/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Suachuno | ||
| Area code(s) | 57 + 1 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
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Soacha is considered a borough of Bogotá, but officially it is an autonomous municipality of the department of Cundinamarca. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working-class families. Soacha borders Bojacá and Mosquera to the north, Sibaté and Pasca to the south, to the east the capital Bogotá and to the west Granada and San Antonio del Tequendama.
Demographics
With a population of 522,442 inhabitants (census 2016), Soacha is Bogota's most populous suburb.
Etymology
The name Soacha is derived from the Chibcha words Súa, name of Sun god Sué, and chá which means "man"; "Man of the Sun". The original name Suecha has been changed to Soacha over time.[1]
History
Soacha was inhabited first by indigenous groups during the Herrera Period and later became an important village in the Muisca Confederation, the former country of the Muisca before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. The zipa of Bacatá (now known as Bogotá) ruled over Soacha.
Modern Soacha was founded on 15th of August, 1600. It gained national notoriety after the presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán was assassinated on August 18, 1989 while visiting the city during his presidential campaign.
Also during 1989, the bombing of Avianca Flight 203 happened in Soacha, killing everyone on-board plus three Soacha residents. The bombing was planned by Cartel de Medellin leader Pablo Escobar, who intended to murder presidential candidate Cesar Gaviria, who was supposed to be on board. Gaviria had decided not to fly and instead went on to become President of Colombia.
In 2008, the 'false positives' scandal broke when 22 men from Soacha who had been recruited for work were found dead several hundreds of miles away. They had been killed by the military and presented to authorities as guerrilla fighters (insurgents) killed in battle, in order to increase action head counts. Similar cases have since appeared all over the country.[2]
Modern development
Ciudad Verde is a development project for the lower middle class (estrato 3) residents of Soacha with housing, parks and playgrounds. The project started in 2010 and is scheduled to be finished at the end of 2016.
Born in Soacha
- Walter Pedraza, professional cyclist
Gallery
Houses in Soacha
Rincon de Santa Fe neighborhood park
Luis Carlos Galán Stadium
Entrance to Ciudad Verde
Logroño Park, Ciudad Verde
Housing and playground Ciudad Verde
References
- ↑ (Spanish) Official website Soacha
- ↑ "In Colombia, 6 sentenced in 'false positives' death scheme". Los Angeles Times. June 14, 2012.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soacha. |
- (Spanish) Website of the city council