Lake Herrera
| Lake Herrera | |
|---|---|
 Lake Herrera
|
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| Location | Mosquera, Cundinamarca |
| Coordinates | 4°41′26″N 74°16′29″W / 4.69056°N 74.27472°WCoordinates: 4°41′26″N 74°16′29″W / 4.69056°N 74.27472°W |
| Type |
Wetland Artificial lake (since 1973) |
| Part of | Bogotá savanna |
| Primary inflows | Bojacá River Bogotá River (San José channel) |
| Primary outflows | none |
| Basin countries | Colombia |
| Max. length | 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) |
| Surface area | 280 hectares (690 acres) |
| Average depth | 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) |
| Max. depth | 2 metres (6.6 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 2,550 m (8,370 ft) |
| References | |
Lake Herrera is a small lake located at 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the urban centre of Mosquera and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the capital Bogotá in Cundinamarca, Colombia. The Andean lake has made its name in the Herrera Period, the period in the history of central Colombia before the Muisca Period, after archaeologist Sylvia Broadbent excavated ceramics around Lake Herrera in 1971.
Lake Herrera is situated on the Bogota savanna; the southwestern part of the Andean high plateau in the Eastern Ranges; the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. The lake is one of many remainders of the Lake Humboldt. It is the largest remaining natural water reserve on the Bogotá savanna and the reserve belongs to the municipalities Mosquera, Madrid and Bojacá.
Investigations by archaeologist Gonzalo Correal Urrego in 1984 have revealed the existence of a preceramic site with two layers. The oldest layer has been dated at 3410 years BP and the younger layer at 3135 BP.
Correal Urrego has discovered preceramic tools and wooden beams in horizontal position, possibly used to against the lake overflowing. Different stone tools found are scrapers and chips with sharp edges. Other tools were handles, and white-tailed deer bone tools for perforation, scarping and cutting. Evidence of fireplaces and burial grounds has been uncovered. One of the burial sites contained a full skeleton surrounded by five skulls. Remains of fauna collected by the hunter-gatherers were mammals, birds and snails. The presence of basalt, not formed on the Altiplano, indicated movement from the Magdalena Valley.
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Wikipedia