Junín, Cundinamarca

Junín (Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de) Chipazaque
Municipality and town
View of Junín
Flag Seal
Location of the municipality and town of Junín in the Cundinamarca Department of Colombia
Junín Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 4°47′25″N 73°48′49″W
Country	Colombia
Department	Cundinamarca
Province	Guavio Province
Founded	13 August 1550
Government
• Mayor	María Elica Prieto Bustos (2016-2019)
Area
• Municipality and town	337 km2 (130 sq mi)
• Urban	2.97 km2 (1.15 sq mi)
Elevation	2,300 m (7,500 ft)
Population  (2015)
• Municipality and town	8,610
• Density	26/km2 (66/sq mi)
• Urban	998
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
Website	Official website

Junín is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Guavio Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre is situated at an altitude of 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) in the east of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. Junín borders Gachetá and Guatavita in the north, Gama and Gachalá in the east, Fómeque in the south, and La Calera and Guasca in the west.

Etymology

The former name Chipazaque of Junín refers to the shared terrain by the zipa and zaque, the most important caciques of the Muisca Confederation. In Muysccubun it means "our father the zaque" or "union between zipa and zaque". The name Junín was given by Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera in 1861, because the green valleys reminded him of the Pampa de Junín, location of the Battle of Junín in Peru.

History

Before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, the green hills of Junín, then called Chipazaque, were a shared terrain between the zipa of Bacatá and the zaque of Hunza. The conquistadors reached the area of Junín in 1550 and founded the modern town.

Economy

Main economical activities of Junín are agriculture, livestock farming and tourism.

Gallery

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  Church
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  Church interior
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  Church at night
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  Train in Junín
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  Parque Ararat