| Tequendama Falls | |
|---|---|
| Salto del Tequendama | |
 Tequendama Falls | |
  | |
| Location | Soacha, Cundinamarca, Colombia |
| Coordinates | 4°34′27″N74°17′36″W / 4.57417°N 74.29333°W /4.57417; -74.29333 |
| Elevation | 2,385 m (7,825 ft) |
| Total height | 132 m (433 ft) |
| Number of drops | 1 |
| Watercourse | Bogotá River |
TheTequendama Falls (Spanish:Salto del Tequendama) is a 132 metres (433 ft) high waterfall of theBogotá River, located 32 kilometres (20 mi) southwest ofBogotá in the municipality ofSoacha. Named after the adjacent settlement ofTequendama, it holds historical significance as one of Colombia's earliest permanent settlements.[1] The falls were painted in 1854 byFrederic Edwin Church.[2] One of the country's tourist attractions, the falls are located in a forested area 32 kilometres (20 mi) west of Bogotá. The river surges through a rocky gorge that narrows to about 18 metres (59 ft) at the brink of the 132 metres (433 ft) high falls. During the month of December the falls become completely dry. The falls, once a common site for suicides,[3] may be reached by road from Bogotá.
InChibcha, the nameTequendama translates to: "he who precipitated downward".[4]According to theMuiscareligion, the waterfall was created by the legendary heroBochica, who used his staff to break the rock and release the water that covered theBogotá savanna.[5] According to another legend, during the Spanish conquest and evangelization of the Americas, in order to escape the new colonial order indigenous people of the area would jump off theSalto Del Tequendama and become eagles to fly to their freedom.
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The river that feeds the falls is currently considered to be one of the most contaminated in the world.[6]
"The Tequendama Falls has the dubious honor of being the largest wastewater falls in the world. Liquid wastes from the city are flushed untreated into the Bogotá River at the lower edge of the sabana, a few kilometers upstream of the Tequendama Falls. Downstream from Bogotá, the river is filled with sewage."
A historic hotel building, now amuseum that overlooks the waterfall is undergoing restoration aided by the French government.[7]
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