| Siecha Lakes | |
|---|---|
 Siecha Lakes, from left (east) to right (west) Siecha,Guasca,De los Patos | |
  Siecha Lakes | |
| Location | Guasca,Cundinamarca |
| Coordinates | 4°45′52″N73°51′04″W / 4.76444°N 73.85111°W /4.76444; -73.85111 |
| Type | Glacial |
| Part of | Chingaza Natural National Park |
| Basin countries | Colombia |
| Surface area | 141,401 m2 (1,522,030 sq ft)[1] |
| Max. depth | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 3,590 m (11,780 ft)[2] |
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TheSiecha Lakes are three glacial lakes located in theChingaza Natural National Park inCundinamarca,Colombia. TheAndean lakes are considered sacred in thereligion of theMuisca who inhabited the area before theSpanish conquest of the Muisca in the 1530s.[3]
In theChibcha language of the MuiscaSiecha means "Water Man" or "Man of Water".[4]
The Siecha Lakes consist of three small glacial lakes, from large to small and east to west;Siecha (63,893 m2),[1]Guasca (56,846 m2)[1] andDe los Patos (20,662 m2).[1] Alternative names for the smaller two areFausto andAmerica.[4] The lakes belong to the municipality ofGuasca. Fauna around the lakes are the birdsAmerican purple gallinule,helmeted curassow,torrent duck,Andean cock-of-the-rock, eagles andorange-fronted parakeet. In the lakes the birdsOxyura jamaicensis andina,Andean teal and theAmerican coot can be found. Mammals around the lakes include thespectacled bear,white-tailed deer,red deer and thelittle red brocket.[4]
In the colonial period, the lakes were partly drained to extract thegolden artefacts of the Muisca from the water. In 1855 a golden raft was found in one of the lakes, similar to the famousMuisca raft. It was namedBalsa de Siecha or "Siecha raft" and pictured in the bookEl Dorado byMuisca scholarLiborio Zerda in 1883. The discovery of the raft made Zerda believe that the site of the initiation ritual of the newzipa was not inLake Guatavita, yet in the Siecha Lakes.[5] Later, the raft was more-or-less legally taken from Colombia to Europe. The transporting ship burnt in the harbour ofBremen and the raft was lost.[4]
To visit the lakes certain rules apply; visits are only possible on Saturdays and Sundays, access at the entrance point needs to be not later than 10:00 AM and exit not after 4:00 PM. A maximum of 30 visitors per day is allowed.[4]
