Zipaquirá

Zipaquirá
Central square of Zipaquirá
Flag Seal
Location of the town and municipality of Zipaquirá in the Cundinamarca department
Zipaquirá Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 4°56′50″N 74°2′30″W / 4.94722°N 74.04167°W / 4.94722; -74.04167
Country	Colombia
Departamento	Cundinamarca
Province	Central Savanna Province
Founded	18 July 1600
Founded by	Luis Henriquez
Government
• Mayor	Luis Alfonso Rodríguez Valbuena (2016-2019)
Area
• City	197 km2 (76 sq mi)
• Urban	8 km2 (3 sq mi)
Elevation	2,650 m (8,690 ft)
Population (2015)
• City	124,376
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
• Urban	109,146
Demonym(s)	Zipaquireño/a
Area code(s)	+1
Website	Official website
Censo DANE 2005

Zipaquirá (Spanish pronunciation: [sipakiˈɾa]) is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Tausa and Cogua to the north; Nemocón, Gachancipá and Sopó to the east; Cajicá and Tabio to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho to the west. Its seat of municipal government is 49 kilometers from Santa Fe de Bogotá. It is part of the Greater Bogotá Metropolitan Area, and is the capital of the province. It is also the headquarters of the diocese of the same name and that includes much of the Department of Cundinamarca, extending to the centre of Bogotá, the region of Rionegro, the Ubaté Valley, and the region of Guavio.

The town is primarily known for its Salt Cathedral, an underground church built inside a salt mine in a tunnel made as result of the excavation of the salinas. Zipaquirá has an original architecture, and the old city centre is a tourist attraction. Its main square is surrounded by old buildings in the Spanish Colonial style. This small city can be reached by train from Bogotá.

In Chibcha, the language of the Muisca, who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense before the Spanish conquest, the name means "The Land of the zipa". Zipa was the ruler of this territory. Another origin is "City of our father".