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Paipa

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Paipa
Municipalityand town
View of Paipa
View of Paipa
Flag of Paipa
Official seal of Paipa
Location of the municipality and town of Paipa in the Boyacá department of Colombia
Location of the municipality and town of Paipa in the Boyacá department of Colombia
Coordinates:05°50′N73°09′W/ 5.833°N 73.150°W/5.833; -73.150
CountryColombia
DepartmentBoyacá Department
ProvinceTundama Province
Founded19 February 1602
Founded byLuís Enríquez
Government
• MayorFabio Alberto Medrano Reyes
(2020–2023)
Area
Municipalityand town305.1 km2(117.8 sq mi)
• Urban
4.63 km2(1.79 sq mi)
Elevation
2,525 m (8,284 ft)
Population
(2018 census)[1]
Municipalityand town33,535
• Density110/km2(280/sq mi)
Urban
20,021
• Urban density4,300/km2(11,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5(Colombia Standard Time)
WebsiteOfficial website

Paipais a town and municipality in theTundama Province,a part of theColombiandepartmentofBoyacá.Paipa bordersDuitama,Firavitoba,Tibasosa,SotaquiráandTuta.[2]

Geography

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Paipa is located 15 km west ofDuitamaand 48 kilometres (30 mi) to the northeast ofTunja,the capital of the department, in theCordillera Oriental(Eastern Ranges) of the ColombianAndes.It is the main tourist center of the region, with a number of large hotels andhot springs[citation needed].

Climate

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At an elevation of 2525 m, Paipa has a mildsubtropical highland climate(KöppenCfb) with an average temperature around 14 °C.

Climate data for Paipa (Tunguavita), elevation 2,470 m (8,100 ft), (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 22.9
(73.2)
23.1
(73.6)
22.8
(73.0)
21.7
(71.1)
21.2
(70.2)
20.6
(69.1)
20.3
(68.5)
20.5
(68.9)
20.9
(69.6)
21.2
(70.2)
21.5
(70.7)
22.0
(71.6)
21.6
(70.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 14.7
(58.5)
15.1
(59.2)
15.3
(59.5)
15.3
(59.5)
15.0
(59.0)
14.5
(58.1)
14.1
(57.4)
14.1
(57.4)
14.2
(57.6)
14.6
(58.3)
14.9
(58.8)
14.6
(58.3)
14.7
(58.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 5.7
(42.3)
6.5
(43.7)
7.5
(45.5)
8.8
(47.8)
8.7
(47.7)
7.6
(45.7)
6.7
(44.1)
6.7
(44.1)
6.7
(44.1)
7.9
(46.2)
8.3
(46.9)
6.8
(44.2)
7.3
(45.1)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) 25.7
(1.01)
47.7
(1.88)
79.3
(3.12)
131.5
(5.18)
125.8
(4.95)
78.5
(3.09)
58.8
(2.31)
62.5
(2.46)
79.8
(3.14)
132.1
(5.20)
107.4
(4.23)
46.8
(1.84)
976.1
(38.43)
Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) 7 10 14 19 20 17 18 17 16 20 17 11 185
Averagerelative humidity(%) 72 72 74 77 79 78 76 76 77 79 79 76 76
Mean monthlysunshine hours 207.7 169.4 155.0 111.0 105.4 111.0 130.2 124.0 114.0 124.0 141.0 182.9 1,675.6
Mean dailysunshine hours 6.7 6.0 5.0 3.7 3.4 3.7 4.2 4.0 3.8 4.0 4.7 5.9 4.6
Source:Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales[3]

Etymology

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Paipa is named after thecacique(leader) of the Paipa people.[4]

History

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Before theSpanish conquestin the 1530s, Paipa was inhabited by theMuisca people.The looseMuisca Confederationcomprised differentrulers;thecaciqueof Paipa was loyal to theTundamaofTundama.ConquistadorGonzalo Jiménez de Quesadavisited Paipa in 1539 in his search for theSun Temple.[2]

Modern Paipa was founded on February 19, 1602, by Luís Enríquez.

Paipa's first building was the church, built where the cathedral stands today, with clay tile, walls, and stone foundations. Initially, it served as a headquarters for police and justice services, and also for tax collection in Paipa and surrounding villages.

On November 4, 1755, Paipa was designated as a Corregimiento, and Don Ignacio de Caicedo was named as first Corregidor.[2]In 1758 he appointed Juan Avellaneda, Miguel Rodriguez and Esteban Lara as the first mayor of Paipa. The municipality boundaries of Paipa were demarcated in 1778.

The first event that led to Paipa's reputation as a tourist city was the arrival of specialists in 1825 to analyze the local mineral waters. Tourist activity began to pick up after 1852 when the central government sent a natural resources committee headed by General Agustín Codazzi.

The construction of the current cathedral inJaime Rookpark began in 1906 and was finished in 1920. The first passenger trains arrived from Bogota in late 1930 and early 1931. Mineral water pools and spas were built in 1938, launching the local tourist industry, which was reinforced by the construction of Lake Sochagota in 1955. In 1960, the Departmental Assembly declared Paipa a "tourist capital".

The construction of the first local coal-fired power-plant in 1953 led to an influx of population from elsewhere in the country.[5]Some of Paipa's historical architecture has been lost as the city has grown, and the traditional colonial main square has given way to modern buildings.

Paipa inaugurated the monument to the Lancers at thePantano de Vargas,and the now forgotten monument to Innocent Chincá on North Central Avenue[when?].In this decade, the hospitality industry around the lake began to develop with the first Sochagota Springs Hotel. Before these buildings and municipal swimming pools were built, the only opportunity for residents and tourists to bathe in the hot springs was at a Victorian hotel located in urban Paipa. New urban public venues for music have recently been constructed, such as Concha Acústica "Valentín Garcia", a sports and cultural complex built in 1990.

By 1995 Paipa, like other neighboring cities across Colombia, began to experience urban decay due to national policies seeking to quickly industrialize and urbanize Colombia. In response to this, new housing developments are under construction in the north side of the city.

Economy

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Paipa's main economic activities are tourism andagriculture,withlivestockanddairyfarms as well as farms producingoats,barley,maize,wheat,andpotatoes.[2]The coal-fired TermoPaipa power plant serves the entire region.

The city is served byJuan José Rondón Airport.

Tourism

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Places of interest include: Lake Sochagota, the Ranchería nature reserve, the Vargas swamp, the church, the Casona del Salitre and Jaime Rook park, named in honor ofJames Rooke.

Lake Sochagota

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Lake Sochagota is a destination for Colombians and has started to attract foreign visitors. Activities include water-skiing, kayaking, as well as running and cycling around its edge.

Vargas Swamp

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Vargas Swamp is the location of theBattle of Vargas Swampwhich took place on the 25th of July 1819 and was decisive in the fight for independence. A monument to the 14 lancers, by Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, commemorates the battle.

Paipa thermal baths

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Thethermal batharea covers approximately 5 hectares and includes a number of pools, both public and private, as well as hotels, sports facilities, shops and cafes. The water comes from asubterranean lakewhose waters come to the surface in this area, before being distributed by pipes to various establishments in the sector.

Casona del Salitre

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Just outside the town is the Casona de Salitre, a restored colonialhacienda,which is a national monument as well as a hotel.

Notable people from Paipa

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[edit]
Panorama of Paipa
Panorama of Sochagota Lake

References

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  1. ^Citypopulation.dePopulation of Paipa municipality with localities
  2. ^abcd(in Spanish)Official website PaipaArchived2014-03-10 atarchive.today
  3. ^"Promedios Climatológicos 1981–2010"(in Spanish). Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales. Archived fromthe originalon 15 August 2016.Retrieved3 June2024.
  4. ^(in Spanish)Etymology Paipa– Excelsio.net
  5. ^Sochagota power plant