Villa De Leyva

Villa de leyva
Villa de Leyva was founded on June 12th 1572, by Captain Hernan Suárez de Villalobos, as instructed by the first president of the New Kingdom ofGranada Sr. Andres Díaz Venero de Leyva. Villa de Leyva was home of the Captain Antonio Ricaurte, a hero in the San Mateo battle during the war of independence. The Generaland President of the New Republic Antonio Nariño spent his last days in this town. In 1812 there was the meeting of the first congress of the United Provinces. In 1954Villa de Leyva was declared a National Monument. Villa de Leyva is located at 2.143 meters above sea level, with a lovely temperature of 18oC and a population of 12.000inhabitants. Its size is 128 km2. The Iguaque’s Sanctuary of Flora and Fauna is an ecological reserve. It is home to a great variety of native species and is a part ofthe National Parks Unit. The reserve goes from 2.800 to 3.800 meters above sea level, and it is possible to see different kinds of ecosystems like the Andean highjungle, and the Stunted Jungle which reaches the majestic Moor called Paramo. A variety of fossils have been found around Villa de Leyva. These have been deemed importantbecause of their sizes and their very relevant contributions made to paleontological investigations. Found in 1945, The Plesiosaurus is more than 115 million years old,and is part of the National Geological Museum’s collection. In agreeance with the Muisca’s mythology, the Iguaque lake legend says that a beautiful woman called Bachue,walked out from the lake with a boy of three years of age. The evidence of this is possible to see in the ‘Infiernito’ well known as the Muisca Astronomic Observatory.