Sierra Nevada del Cocuy


The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Chita o Guican National Natural Park (or Sierra Nevada de Chita or Sierra Nevada de Güicán, Parque Natural Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Chita o Guican is a national park and a set of highlands within the Cordillera Oriental mountain range in the Andes Mountains of Colombia.

Snow peaks

The Park area contains several high peaks covered with snow:
Pan de Azúcar, Diamante, el Púlpito del Diablo, Toti, Portales, Cóncavo, Concavito, San Pablines South and North, Ritacuba Blanco, Picacho, Puntiagudo, Ritacuba Negro, el Castillo, peak without name, Sirara.
An 1856 watercolor by Manuel María Paz is an early depiction of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy in Casanare Province.

Native peoples

Indigenous natives of the region are the U'wa and their reservation overlaps the area of the park and thus part of the park is dedicated to their farming, grazing, hunting and fishing activities.
From 1969 to 1977 in the area of the park and the surrounding area, the Colombian government promoted colonisation from elsewhere in Colombia. This resulted in loss of U'wa lands as well as other settlement enclaves within the park.

Regional geology