Chipaque

Chipaque
Municipality and town
Church of Chipaque
Flag Seal
Location of Chipaque inside Cundinamarca, Colombia
Chipaque Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 4°26′33″N 74°2′29″W / 4.44250°N 74.04139°W / 4.44250; -74.04139Coordinates: 4°26′33″N 74°2′29″W / 4.44250°N 74.04139°W / 4.44250; -74.04139
Country	Colombia
Department	Cundinamarca
Province	Eastern Province
Founded	2 October 1600
Founded by	Luis Enrique
Government
• Mayor	Ariel Danilo Basto Trujillo (2016-2019)
Area
• Municipality and town	139.45 km2 (53.84 sq mi)
• Urban	2.1 km2 (0.8 sq mi)
Elevation	2,400 m (7,900 ft)
Population (2015)
• Municipality and town	8,400
• Density	60/km2 (160/sq mi)
• Urban	2,530
Time zone	Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5)
Website	Official website

Chipaque is a municipality and town in the Eastern Province of the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. The municipality of 139.45 square kilometres (53.84 sq mi) is located at an altitude of 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes with its westernmost part situated in the Eastern Hills of Bogotá. The Colombian capital is 27 kilometres (17 mi) west of Chipaque. Chipaque borders Bogotá's southern locality Usme in the west. To the east, Chipaque borders Cáqueza, in the south Une and in the north Ubaque. The average temperature is 13 °C (55 °F).

The name Chipaque is derived from the word Chipapabacue, Muysccubun for "Forest of our ancestors".

The Chipaque Formation, consisting of organic shales and sandstone beds, is named after Chipaque. The Páramo de Cruz Verde is located in the northern part of the municipality.

Before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, Chipaque was inhabited by the indigenous Muisca, organised in their loose Muisca Confederation. Chipaque was part of the cacicazgo of Ubaque. During the conquest, main conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada sent Juan Tafur eastward. In 1538, he established the first church in Chipaque.