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I would like to know where the word Bogota originate from. What does it mean in its original meaning,beside being the capital of Columbia? For instances:Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentia,and it literally means fres air or good air. Puerto Rico literally means rich port.

  • Posted Mar 27, 2010
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Bogotá was originally called "Bacatá" (which means “planted fields”) by the Muiscas. It was the center of their civilization before the Spanish explorers colonized the area, and it sustained a large population. The European settlement was founded on August 6, 1538 by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and was named "Santa Fé de Bacatá" after his birthplace Santa Fé and the local name. "Bacatá" had become the modern "Bogotá" by the time it was made the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada, which was then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and later of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. The city soon became one of the centers of Spanish colonial power and civilization in South America.

In 1956 the municipality was joined to other neighboring municipalities forming a "Special District" (Spanish: Distrito Especial).The Constitution of 1991 confirmed Bogotá as the Capital of Colombia, gave it the name "Santafé de Bogotá", and changed the category from Special District to "Capital District" (Distrito Capital).

In August 2000 the name was officially changed back to simply "Bogotá".

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogotá

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