| Ocetá Páramo | |
|---|---|
 Ciudad de Piedra and frailejones on the Ocetá Páramo | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Neotropic |
| Biome | Páramo |
| Borders | |
| Animals | Andean condor,black agouti,eastern cottontail,mountain paca,spectacled bear,white-tailed deer |
| Geography | |
| Area | 57.711 km2 (22.282 sq mi) |
| Country |  Colombia |
| State | Monguí,Mongua,Tópaga Sugamuxi Province,Boyacá |
| Elevation | 2,950 metres (9,680 ft) to 3,950 metres (12,960 ft) |
| Coordinates | 5°42′39.5″N72°47′52.2″W / 5.710972°N 72.797833°W /5.710972; -72.797833 |
| Geology | Paleocene:Socha Formation Cretaceous:Guaduas,Guadalupe &Chipaque Formations Basin:El Cocuy sub-basin Orogen:Eastern Ranges Mountain range:Andes |
| Rivers | Calicanto, Morro & Tejar Rivers |
| Climate type | Cf |
.png)
TheOcetá Páramo (Spanish:Páramo de Ocetá) is apáramo, which means an ecosystem above the continuous forest line yet below the permanent snowline. This particular páramo is located at altitudes between 2,950 metres (9,680 ft) and 3,950 metres (12,960 ft) in theEastern Ranges of theColombianAndes. It covers parts of themunicipalitiesMonguí,Mongua andTópaga, belonging to theSugamuxi Province,Boyacá. The Ocetá Páramo is known for its collection of small shrubs calledfrailejones, as well as other Andean flora and fauna. Hiking tours from Monguí or Mongua to the páramo take a full day.
The Páramo de Ocetá in the times before theSpanish conquest of the Muisca was inhabited by theMuisca, loyal to theiraca ofSuamox, who considered the regionsacred.Myths and legends exist from pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial times and in the lower part of the páramo theMuisca women gave birth in little man-made pools (Tortolitas).
The Ocetá Páramo is considered the most beautiful páramo in the world and one of the treasures of Colombia.
The Ocetá Páramo is considered the most beautiful páramo in the world and one of the national treasures of Colombia.[1][2] It is located at 230 kilometres (140 mi) from the Colombian capitalBogotá and 93 kilometres (58 mi) from the departmental capitalTunja.[3] Colombia is the country with the most páramos in the world; more than 60% of the Andean ecosystem is found within Colombian territories.[4] Boyacá is the department where 18.3% of the national total area is located.[5]
The Ocetá Páramo is situated in theEastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes at altitudes between 2,950 metres (9,680 ft) and 3,950 metres (12,960 ft).[3][6] The páramo with an area of 5,771.1 hectares (14,261 acres) lies east of theAltiplano Cundiboyacense, southwest of thePisba National Natural Park and north ofSiscuinsí Lake.[7] Farther to the northeast are theSierra Nevada del Cocuy and to the southwestLake Tota. The climate varies between 0 °C (32 °F) in winter nights and 17 °C (63 °F) on sunny days.[8] Foggy blankets are common in the area.[9]
Páramos are "sponges"; sources of water for lower lying terrains and the Ocetá Páramo is no exception.[10] In the upper part of the páramo, marshes and small lakes exist. The biggest waterbody is the Laguna Negra and the Calicanto, Tejar and Morro Rivers as well as numerous creeks (quebradas) have their origin on the Páramo de Ocetá. The Penagos waterfall feeds the Laguna Negra.[11]
The Ocetá Páramo is part of theEl Cocuy sub-basin, aninverted basin in the Eastern Ranges.[12] During theHauterivian, the El Cocuy and Tablazo sub-basins formed a continuousbasin due to the flooding of the Santander-Floresta paleohigh.[13] The main uplift in the Eastern Ranges occurred between the lateOligocene andPleistocene, with increased tectonic uplift in the Plio-Pleistocene.[14] TheNeogene compression led to the formation ofalluvial fans in the intermontane valleys of the Eastern Cordillera.Pollen analysis has shown the transition from lowland tropical forests to colder mountainous vegetation over the last 5 million years.[15] The youngest uplifted eastern chain of the Colombian Andes formed the provenance area for theMagdalena River.[16] In the vicinity of the area of Ocetá, to the southwest inIza andPaipa for the Eastern Cordillera unique volcanic and magmatic activity is noted from 4.7 to 2.1 Ma.[17]
The stratigraphical units encountered on the Ocetá Páramo arePaleocene sandstones and shales of theSocha Formation in thePeña de Ortí, and theLate CretaceousGuadalupe sandstone and shale formations,Guaduas Formation, and the organic shales of theChipaque Formation.[18] The Guaduas Formation containscoal seams that are mined in the area.[19] The Cretaceous-Paleocene Guaduas Formation is the most important source for the rich coal deposits in the Andean interior of Colombia.[20]
During theMiocene, establishing the current ecosystem in thePliocene, the vegetation became that of a páramo.[21]
The typical flora of a páramo arefrailejones, that are plants of thegenusEspeletia. The lower altitude parts of the páramo are characterised byEspeletia barclayana,Espeletia jaramilloi,Espeletia congestiflora andEspeletia argentea, whileEspeletia grandiflora is growing in a wider altitude distribution.Chusquea tessellata is characteristic of the Eastern Ranges.[22] On the Ocetá Páramo, formerly written as Oseta, various species have been described byThomas van der Hammen;Bryum argenteum,Breutelia polygastrica,Calamagrostis effusa,Ceratodon stenocarpus,Didymodon laevigatus,Leptodontium flexifolium andSphagnum sancto-josephense.[23][24][25][26][27][28] Other flora occurring on the páramo arePentacalia vernicosa,Ageratina tinifolia,Bidens andicola,Lupinus luisanae var. ocetensis,Viola sp.,Arnica sp. and various types ofmosses andlychen.[6][29][30]
Among the fauna that can be observed on the páramo areAndean condor,black agouti,eastern cottontail,frogs,mountain paca,spectacled bear,white-tailed deer.[6] The spectacled bear is very rare and possibly extinct.[31] The white tailed deer, the mainingredient of the diet of the Muisca and pre-Muisca, has been extensively hunted and captured over time.[9]
The Páramo de Ocetá was asacred place for theMuisca, who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and surrounding areas before theSpanish conquest.[32] The region of Monguí was populated by the Sanoa tribe.[33]
Along the route from Monguí to the highest point of the Ocetá Páramo, a series of sights are present. From most of the route, to the (south)west, a view of the Duitama-Sogamoso Valley, especially the settlements ofTibasosa,Nobsa andDuitama, is visible. From theMirador de Cóndores and theCerro de Águilas on clear days it is possible to see the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy and even theLlanos Orientales.[34]
TheTortolitas (English: "Sweethearts") are oval-shaped depressions that were made by the Muisca. They served as "baths" where theMuisca women bore their babies. Close to the Tortolitas,Muisca petroglyphs have been found.[9]
ThePeña de Otí (English: "Rock of Otí") is anoutcrop of alternatingshales andsandstones of theSocha Formation.[18] It is observed to the southwest from the main trail leading to theMirador de los Cóndores on the páramo. The rocks of thePeña de Otí were used to construct the churches and convent in Monguí. Legends about the Peña include tales of witches dancing with the devil on October 31, the origin of the scratches on the rock face from the devil who was riding a donkey on the hilltop and fell down, when the hoofs created the scratches and that the hill opened one day revealing the Calicanto Bridge and church made of gold. The end of the world would come when the hill closed again.[35]
TheCaja del Rey (English: "The King's Box") is amonolith of about 8 metres (26 ft) high, 8 metres (26 ft) wide and 15 metres (49 ft) long. Legend says it is a box of rock with a lid on top where thecacique Sanoha hid a fifteen-year-old girl inside, who during a night in April exited naked.[9] The monolith contains an upper part where a natural fractured zone has been excavated more by humans. The rock is also a viewpoint for the western area.[3]
Ciudad de Piedra orCiudad Perdida (English: "The Stone or Lost City"), not to be confused with itsfamous counterpart in theSierra Nevada de Santa Marta, is a series of rock formations of 15 metres (49 ft) high, 20 metres (66 ft) wide and 200 metres (660 ft) long.[1][3][36] In theCiudad de Piedra, a tabular stone, thought to have served forhuman sacrifices, calledMesa de los Sacrificios is present.[37]
El Pulpito del Diablo (English: "The Devil's Pulpit") is a raisedmesa-type hill to the south of the main hiking trail on the Páramo de Ocetá.[3]
ThePlaya orValle de Frailejones orJardines de Ocetá (English: "Frailejon Beach or Valley" or "Ocetá Gardens") is a relatively flat portion on the páramo where a large quantity offrailejones are growing.[1][3] The frailejones grow 1 centimetre (0.39 in) a year.[6]
TheCerro de Águilas (English: "Eagles Hill") is a hill on the páramo consisting of alternating shales and sandstone formations of the Guadalupe Group.[18]
TheMirador de Cóndores (English: "Condor Viewpoint") is the highest point of the páramo and offers a view on the Laguna Negra.Andean condors can be sighted from this viewpoint.
Laguna Negra (English: "Black Lake") is a permanent lake on the páramo that can be viewed from theCerro de Águilas or theMirador de Cóndores.[3] The lake drains towards Mongua and it is possible to reach from that village. Legend tells that a young boy is living in the lake, whose singing can be heard close to the Penagos waterfall.[33]
The Ocetá Páramo is mostly accessed from Monguí along theCamino de la Otra Vida; a full-day hike, ascending and back descending 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), that takes between six and eleven hours.[8] A steep and pebbly access to the Ocetá Páramo is indicated with a gate calledPortal de la Gloria. It is possible to access the páramo by horse and dowild camping on the páramo.[8] The use of a trained guide is recommended, as the journey contains many paths and the sudden mist can be cold and dangerous due to the loss of orientation.[38] The best months to visit the páramo are November and December.[1]
An alternative route towards the Ocetá Páramo starts in Mongua and reaches the Laguna Negra first.
Treasures of Colombia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source:Wills, Fernando; et al. (2001).Nuestro patrimonio – 100 tesoros de Colombia [Our heritage – 100 treasures of Colombia] (in Spanish).El Tiempo. pp. 1–311.ISBN 958-8089-16-6. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg)
.svg)
