Muzo Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de los Muzos | |
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Municipality and town | |
 View of Muzo | |
.svg) Flag | |
| Etymology:Muzo | |
| Nickname: Emerald capital of the world | |
 Location of the municipality and town of Muzo in the Boyacá Department of Colombia | |
  Muzo Location in Colombia | |
| Coordinates:5°31′52.8″N74°06′26.2″W / 5.531333°N 74.107278°W /5.531333; -74.107278 | |
| Country |  Colombia |
| Department | Boyacá Department |
| Province | Western Boyacá Province |
| Founded | 20 February 1559 |
| Founded by | Luis Lanchero |
| Government | |
| • Mayoress | Ximena Elizabeth Castañeda (2024–2027) |
| Area | |
• Municipality and town | 147 km2 (57 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 815 m (2,674 ft) |
| Population (2015) | |
• Municipality and town | 9,040 |
| • Density | 61/km2 (160/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 5,350 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time) |
| Website | Official website |
Muzo (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈmuso]) is a town andmunicipality in theWestern Boyacá Province, part of thedepartment ofBoyacá,Colombia. It is widely known as the world capital ofemeralds for the mines containing the world's highest quality gems ofthis type. Muzo is situated at a distance of 178 kilometres (111 mi) from the departmental capitalTunja and 118 kilometres (73 mi) from the capital of the Western Boyacá Province,Chiquinquirá. The urban centre is at an altitude of 815 metres (2,674 ft) above sea level. Muzo bordersOtanche andSan Pablo de Borbur in the north,Maripí andCoper in the east,Quípama in the west and the department ofCundinamarca in the south.[1]
The town of Muzo was called Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de los Muzos, or simply Trinidad, when theSpanishconquistadors first founded the settlement in western Boyacá. Muzo is theautonym of theMuzo, the indigenous people who inhabited the region before the Spanish conquest.[1]
The median temperature of Muzo is 26 °C (79 °F) and the annual precipitation 3,152 millimetres (124.1 in).[1]
Before theSpanish conquest of the Eastern Colombian Andes, the region of Muzo was inhabited by the people with the same name. They extracted emeralds in pre-Columbian times, giving them the name "The Emerald People". Using poles of hard tropical wood and water, the people peeled the emeralds from theformations, in particular theMuzo Formation, named after the municipality. Historians have estimated the Muzo settled in the area of Muzo around 1000 AD.[2]
TheCariban-speaking Muzo, like theirChibcha neighbours, adored the Sun and Moon asdeities. Unlike their eastern neighbours, they did not construct temples.[3]
After the successful conquest by the Spanish of the eastern neighbours, theMuisca, and partial submittal of thePanche, the southern neighbours of the Muzo, the Spanish, in search of valuable resources, sent various conquistadors into the territories inhabited by the Muzo. The first to arrive in Muzo territory wasLuis Lanchero, soldier of the conquest expedition led byNikolaus Federmann, in 1539.[4] He encountered fierce resistance by the indigenous Muzo and had to return to the newly founded capitalSantafe de Bogotá of theNew Kingdom of Granada in 1541. The Muzo used the rugged terrain to their advantage and attacked the forty conquistadors, whose horses had problems crossing the hills of Muzo, usingpoisoned arrows.[5] During a second invasion by the Spanish into the Muzo lands, in 1544, conquistador Diego Martínez discovered the rich emerald deposits of Muzo.[6]
A third campaign to submit the Muzo was executed by conquistadorPedro de Ursúa in 1552. Also he failed to conquer the Muzo. A fourth time the Spanish attempted to subdue the Muzo to the Spanish Crown was successful; Luis Lanchero returned to the area where he was driven out almost two decades earlier, defeated the Muzo and founded the town of Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de los Muzos on February 20, 1559.[1]
The first evangelisation was performed byJuan de los Barrios in 1566. The Spanish were highly interested in the emeralds of Muzo, proving to be the highest quality emeralds worldwide.[1] They set upencomiendas to guard the valuable gemstones and used the indigenous people to performslave labour for the extraction of the minerals.
The main economical activity with approximately 75% of the municipal income is emerald mining. Agriculture and livestock farming comprise the remaining quarter of the economy of Muzo. Agricultural products cultivated aresugarcane,cacao,yuca,avocados andcitrus fruits.[1]
The Muzo mines are situated in the western flank of theEastern ranges of the ColombianAndes. TheDevonshire, one of the world's most famous uncut emeralds, is from the Muzo mines. It is a 1,383.95 carats (276.790 g) emerald and was a gift to the 6th Duke of Devonshire by EmperorDom Pedro I ofBrazil in 1831.
The US National Museum Division ofMineralogy andPetrology carried out a study of the mines in 1916.
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| Gold |          | |
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| Silver | ||
| Platinum | ||
| Nickel | ||
| Coltan | ||
| Emeralds | ||
| Coal | ||
| Salt | ||
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| History |
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| Main mining areas |
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| Individual emeralds (ct) |
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| Related articles | |||||
