Somondoco
The nearest larger town is Guateque which is about 30 minutes away by car. In Somondoco are several small companies producing handicrafts and collectables.
Etymology
Somondoco is derived from the Chibcha words So = stone, Mon = bath, Co = support. The village is named after cacique Somendoco or Sumindoco.
History
Somondoco is a very old center of population extending back into prehistory. The Muisca settled here due to the abundance of emeralds mined in the Andes mountains.
When the Spanish conquistadores led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada arrived, Somondoco was ruled by a cacique named Sumindoco. He was loyal to the zaque of Hunza. The date of foundation of Somondoco is November 6, 1537.
Economy
Main economical activities of Somondoco are emerald mining and agriculture; maize, tomatoes, sugar cane, beans, bananas and coffee.
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View of Somondoco
References
- ^ (in Spanish) Official website Somondoco
- ^ (in Spanish) Etymology Somondoco - Excelsio.net
- ^ (in Spanish) Foundation of Somondoco November 6, 1537
Further reading
- Branquet, Yannick; Laumonier, Bernard; Cheilletz, Alain; Giuliani, Gaston (1999), "Emeralds in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia: Two tectonic settings for one mineralization" (PDF), Geology, 27 (7): 597–600, Bibcode:1999Geo....27..597B, doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0597:EITECO>2.3.CO;2, retrieved 2017-01-05
- Giuliani, Gaston; Cheilletz, Alain; Arboleda, Carlos; Carrillo, Victor; Rueda, Félix; Baker, James H. (1995), "An evaporitic origin of the parent brines of Colombian emeralds: fluid inclusion and sulphur isotope evidence" (PDF), European Journal of Mineralogy, 7 (1): 151–165, Bibcode:1995EJMin...7..151G, doi:10.1127/ejm/7/1/0151, retrieved 2017-01-05
- Ortega Medina, Laura Milena (2007), Tipología y condiciones de formaciónde las manifestaciones del sector esmeraldífero "Peña Coscuez" (municipio San Pablo de Borbur, Boyacá) (MSc.) (PDF), Universidad Industrial de Santander, pp. 1–121, retrieved 2017-01-05
- Pignatelli, Isabella; Giuliani, Gaston; Ohnenstetter, Daniel; Agrosì, Giovanna; Mathieu, Sandrine; Morlot, Christophe; Branquet, Yannick (2015), "Colombian Trapiche Emeralds: Recent Advances in Understanding Their Formation", Gems & Gemology, LI: 222–259, doi:10.5741/GEMS.51.3.222