The name Suesca is derived from the Chibcha word Suejica, Sueica or Suesuca, which means "Rock of the birds" or "Tail of the macaw".
History
Suesca was inhabited early in the of the Altiplano and the rock shelters formed the site for semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers of the Herrera and preceramic periods. Before the Spanish conquest, Suesca was part of the Muisca Confederation. The cacique of Guatavita ruled over Suesca, the village close to the sacred Lake Guatavita and containing Lake Suesca where rituals were held. Suesca formed an important centre on the traderoad toBoyacá, ruled by the zaque of Hunza. The merchants took carbon and salt on their way to the north. Every four days a market was held in Suesca. Suesca was also an important settlement for the pottery made by the Muisca. When conquistadorGonzalo Jiménez de Quesada arrived in Suesca in March 1537 he founded the modern town. In Suesca he sentenced a soldier of his army to death, for stealing mantles from the Muisca. After submitting the zaque of Hunza, Quemuenchatocha, the Muisca ruler was taken prisoner to Suesca in an attempt to let him reveal the location of his treasures. When the zipa of Bacatá, Tisquesusa, heard about the Spanish presence in Suesca, he sent a spy to the town to gain information about their strength. The Muisca, unfamiliar with horses and horseback riders, thought that the horse and the rider were one. When a horse died in Suesca, they found out this was not the case. Suesca is also the place where De Quesada died in 1579, after writing the now lost workRatos de Suesca. In 1602 in a cave in Suesca 150 Muisca mummies were discovered. The mummies were organised in a circle around the mummy of the cacique of the town. Also rock art has been found in Suesca. The pictographs of Suesca are among the most extensive of Cundinamarca, but at the same time the most vandalised.
Rocas de Suesca - natural cliffs approximately long that are located before arriving to Suesca town. A beautiful landscape, the rocks are ideal for people who love trekking and climbing, with many guided tours taking place at the cliffs. The rocks of Suesca are considered the birthplace of Colombian rock climbing, and feature over 400 routes on excellent quality sandstone up to several pitches in length, with a majority of routes being one pitch. The area is best known for traditional climbing, but there are many sport routes as well. The Bogotá River flows along the Rocas de Suesca. To arrive at the cliffs, one walks from the town along the train tracks for about 10 minutes. The train only runs very early in the morning, so there is little danger. Camping is available very close to cliffs or there is reasonably priced lodging close to Rocas de Suesca.
Getting to Suesca: by car or bus:
* By car from Bogotá, one should take Autopista Norte that goes to Tunja, passing a toll bridge in Autopista Norte then one will pass Briceño, the town of Tocancipá and a second toll bridge then you will find on the main road to Tunja a crossroads; right leads to Sesquilé and left to Suesca, Suesca is approximately from the main road. It is about from Bogotá to Suesca, around an hour and a half travel time.
* By bus from Bogotá, one can take city buses to the large public transportation terminal called Portal Norte de Transmilenio, and from there the Flota Alianza bus to Suesca. These buses are quite frequent.
From downtown Bogotá by public transportation one should budget about 2 hours to get to Suesca, or one hour from the Portal del Norte terminal.
