Arcabuco


Arcabuco is a town and municipality in the Ricaurte Province, part of the Colombian Department of Boyacá. Arcabuco is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense with the urban centre at an altitude of. The municipality borders Moniquirá and Gámbita in the north, Villa de Leyva and Chíquiza in the south, Cómbita in the east and Gachantivá and Villa de Leyva in the west. The department capital Tunja is to the south.

Etymology

The name Arcabuco comes from Chibcha and means either "Place of the intricate scrublands" or "Place enclosed by the hills".

History

The area of Arcabuco in the times before the Spanish conquest was inhabited by the Muisca. Their territory was part of the Muisca Confederation, a loose collection of rulers. Arcabuco was part of the zacazgo, with the zaque based in Hunza.
Modern Arcabuco was founded on October 22, 1856 by Celedonio Umaña and Leopoldo Rodríguez.

Economy

The economy of Arcabuco is centered around agriculture and livestock farming. Apart from the agricultural products potatoes and strawberries, the town is known as a large producer of almojábanas.

Named after Arcabuco