Bogotá, Colombia

Bogotá is the capital and largest city of Colombia . Officially called Bogotá, DC (Distrito Capital, or Capital District), and formerly called Santa Fé de Bogotá, the city is sometimes referred to as "The Athens of South America" because of its status as the economic, political, and cultural nexus of the continent. The greater Bogotá area has been one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in South America and is home to Colombia's government offices, as well as the president's home.

Landscape

Bogotá is in the middle of Colombia, atop a plateau in the Andes, at an elevation of 2,650 meters (8,660 feet). The plateau is generally referred to as the sabana (savannah) de Bogotá, although it is not technically a savannah. The city lies at the base of the Guadalupe and Monserrate mountains and several smaller hills, which limit the city's ability to expand outward. The Bogotá River runs through the city from the north to the south, culminating in the Tequendama Falls. There are many tributaries to the Bogotá River, which has allowed the farmland in Bogotá and the surrounding areas to thrive.

Because of the city's elevation and its proximity to the equator, Bogotá has a mild, temperate climate, with a year-round average temperature of 14 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit). June and July are the city's wettest months. Precipitation is sporadic throughout the rest of the year. Bogotá's climate is subject to the drastic changes caused by the El Niño and La Niña storm systems.

In 2020, Bogotá became the first large city in Latin America to declare a climate emergency and set timelines for actions and compliances. Among its goals is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 (as compared to 2020).

Much of the city's architecture is old and reminiscent of the Spanish colonial style, including the gold art that was common in the early days of the conquistadors (Spanish conquerors). However, Bogotá is also home to many modern high rises and skyscrapers, and the contrast of these two worlds is what makes the cityscape so unique. Bogotá's streets are laid out in a grid, with several plazas throughout. "Calles" run from east to west, while "carreras" run north to south, parallel with the hills. The city is divided into twenty administrative districts and more than 1,000 distinct neighborhoods.

People

Most of Bogotá's approximately 11.344 million residents (2022), called either Bogotaños or cachacos, have pride in their adopted Spanish culture. The residents appreciate the city's Spanish colonial architecture and claim that they speak the best Spanish in South America. During the first half of the twentieth century, however, there was a drastic divide between Bogotaños who embraced Spain's influence on the city and those who rejected everything Spanish.

Common dishes in Bogotá are tamales, ajiaco (a soup made with chicken, potatoes, corn, capers, cream, and avocado), and tamal (corn dough stuffed with meat, chicken, longaniza, pork ribs, chicken peas, onion, and garlic, and usually served with chocolate). Aguardiente (fire water) is a popular Bogotaño liquor made from sugar cane and anise. Chichi, a corn liquor, is still popular in some regions, but it has been largely displaced by beer in most communities.

Landmarks

The Old Bogotá neighborhood is home to many of the city's historic buildings, as well as the famous Plaza de Bolívar and the Gold Museum, which has the world's largest collection of pre-Colombian gold artifacts. The city features several art and history museums, including the Archeological Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Astronomical Observatory, and the Botanical Institute. The Santa Clara Museum, which was once a church, has several large, restored frescoes. The San Francisco church, built in 1567, is a prime example of the conquistadors' predilection for gold: The church is filled with wooden columns coated in gold leaf.

One of Bogotá's most striking natural features is a 157 meter (515 foot) waterfall, Tequendama Falls. Both the Guadalupe and Monserrate mountains are crested by large churches, which are accessible by cable car. In 1975, archeologists unearthed a lost city, called Taironas, in Bogotá. There is a model of the city, which is larger than Machu Picchu, on display in the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum). There is also a large cavern in an old Bogotá salt mine, which was converted into a cathedral in 1920. The Cathedral of Zipaquira is large enough to house 10,000 people, and Colombians claim that there is enough salt left in the mine to meet the world's needs for a century.

Economy

Bogotá's economy drives the economy of Colombia as a whole. In 2022, the capital city generated nearly 27 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. This amounts to about 95 billion US dollars. Commerce is a key component of Bogotá's economy. The city has a thriving publishing industry, as well as a major stock exchange. Bogotá is the headquarters for most of Colombia's banks and financial institutions. The energy company Halliburton also has headquarters in Bogotá. Although none of the coffee for which Colombia is famous is actually grown in Bogotá, many coffee companies are based in the city. The city also has a thriving emerald trade.

The Pan-American Highway is a major thoroughfare that runs through Bogotá and connects it with other urban areas. A railroad system connects the city with Colombia's two coasts, on the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Bogotá is also where Avianca, the first South American commercial airline, is based.

Bogotá has become a model of green design and city planning to which many other cities are aspiring. Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, has been bringing attention to the philosophy that cities ought to be built for people rather than cars. Bogotá has restricted car use in the city and increased bicycle and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) traffic, as well as creating public pedestrian spaces. Many parking spaces have been demolished and wider sidewalks have been put in their place.

These changes have been credited with reducing crime, increasing property values, and improving the overall quality of life in Bogotá. Peñalosa has said that he eventually hopes the city will ban all motor traffic during peak hours. The taxes that he and his predecessor, Antanus Mockus, were able to add to gasoline prices have already funded the TransMilenio bus system that serves 500,000 Bogotaños each day. Mockus also campaigned for water conservation during his term by recording a public service announcement in his shower.

History

Bogotá was founded in August 1538 by the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, when he conquered the area called Bacatá. Originally, Jiménez de Quesada called the city Santa Fé, after the city in Spain where he was born, but he eventually added the suffix "de Bogotá," after the indigenous name, thus giving the city the full name of Santa Fé de Bogotá. Years later, the "Santa Fé" part of the name was dropped.

The Spanish conquistadors were searching for a mythical city called El Dorado, where everything was made of gold, which they expected to find in South America. When this city inevitably did not exist, many of the conquistadores abandoned the cities they had founded. As a result, Bogotá changed hands several times in its early history. In 1717, Bogotá was named the capital of New Granada, the country now called Colombia. However, the city was largely ungoverned for years because of its distance from the central government of New Granada.

In 1739, a new government was set up in Bogotá, ushering in a period of prosperity and growth for the city. Perhaps because it was one of the fastest growing cities in South America, Bogotá was also one of the first to campaign for independence from Spain. Bogotá gained independence for approximately three years, between 1813 and 1816, before Spain took over again. Simón Bolívar captured Bogotá in 1819 during the Battle of Boyacá and made the city the capital of the conglomerate nation of Great Colombia, which included modern-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. Great Colombia dissolved several years later, and Bogotá once again became the capital of New Granada.

With this newfound independence came a desire for a distinct identity. While many Bogotaños embraced Spanish culture, others wished to eradicate the oppressive influence of their colonizers. Many people began to imitate European customs and behavior, and the early twentieth century saw the construction of numerous buildings in the French style. The increasing dichotomy in Bogotá created a stark class divide, which erupted into violence with the 1948 murder of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, a liberal politician who was often treated as a symbol of the general public and an enemy of the government. His death caused rioting and destruction throughout the city in an event called "Bogotazo." The city's streetcars were destroyed, and with them, Bogotá's European aspirations. Bogotá has since become recognizably North American in character.

Turbulence between the liberal and conservative parties, known as La Violencia, continued until 1958, when they settled their differences. In 1991, the new Colombian Constitution was signed, officially naming Bogotá the capital and elevating its status from "Special District" to "Capital District." The name was also changed back to Santa Fé de Bogotá, but the "Santa Fé" was again dropped in 2000.

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