The emeralds of Chivor and Somondoco were already mined in the time of the Muisca
The Tenza Valley (Spanish: Valle de Tenza) is an intermontane valley in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The valley stretches over the southeastern part of the department of Boyacá and the northeastern part of Cundinamarca. It is located east of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and in the time before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, as the Altiplano was inhabited by the Muisca in the higher altitudes and the Tegua in the lower areas to the east.
Etymology
The Tenza Valley is named after Tenza which means in Chibcha: "Behind the mouth" or "Going down at night".[1]
Geography and geology
The Tenza Valley is situated in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes at altitudes between approximately 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) in the northwest and 400 metres (1,300 ft) in the southeast. The Lengupá River, part of the Orinoco drainage basin, flows through the valley and connects the higher altitude Altiplano Cundiboyacense with the Llanos Orientales.[2] The Une, Villeta, Socha, Macanal and Bogotá Formations outcrop in the valley. The valley is rich in water.[3] The average temperature is 20 °C (68 °F).[4]
History
The Tenza Valley was inhabited by the Muisca before the conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada entered the central highlands of Colombia. The Tenza Valley was ruled by a cacique who was loyal to the zaque based in Hunza, present-day Tunja.[5] On the fertile lands of the valley indigenous people elaborated their agriculture.[6] The valley was also important in the economy of the Muisca, hosting the important emerald resources of Chivor and Somondoco.
Archaeologist Juanita Sáenz Samper has discovered three agricultural terraces and five cemeteries hosting one grave and pertaining to pre-Columbian times. The research in the Tenza Valley has also uncovered typical grey ceramics of the area, called Valle de Tenza Gris.[7]
Modern times
The Chivor Reservoir, producing 8% of Colombia's hydroelectric energy, is located in the Tenza Valley.[6] Despite the pleasant climate compared to the colder regions of Boyacá, the Tenza Valley is not touristic.[4]
In terms of mining, the emerald mines of Chivor and Somondoco are important. Coal mines and gold extraction form another part of the mining business in the valley. Salt is mined on a minor scale in Sutatenza and gypsum is exploited in Macanal.
^(in Spanish) Investigacíon arqueológica en el bajo Valle de Tenza, Boyacá
Further reading
Lleras Pérez, Roberto. 1989. Arqueología del alto Valle de Tenza - Archaeology of the upper Tenza Valley, 1–148. Banco de la República. Accessed 2016-07-08.
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