Tenza Valley

The Tenza Valley is named after Tenza which means in Chibcha: "Behind the mouth" or "Going down at night".^[1]

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]

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]

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]

The temperate climate of the Tenza Valley allows for a variety in agriculture. Main products cultivated are maize, yuca, potatoes, papa criolla, sugarcane, tomatoes, bananas, coffee, fique, arracacha, peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, mangoes, chirimoya, oranges, avocadoes, pineapples, mandarines, papayas, maracuyá, guayaba and lulo.

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.

• Eastern Hills
• Muisca
• Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Bogotá savanna, Tegua, Colombian emeralds

• 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.

• (in Spanish) Cycling route in the Tenza Valley
• (in Spanish) Video of the Tenza Valley