Tequendama Falls

Tequendama Falls
Salto del Tequendama
Tequendama Falls
Tequendama Falls is located in Colombia
Tequendama Falls
Map
LocationSoacha,
Cundinamarca,
Colombia
Coordinates4°34′27″N 74°17′36″W / 4.57417°N 74.29333°W / 4.57417; -74.29333
Elevation2,385 m (7,825 ft)
Total height132 m (433 ft)
Number of drops1
WatercourseBogotá River

The Tequendama Falls (Spanish: Salto del Tequendama) is a 132 metres (433 ft) high waterfall of the Bogotá River, located 32 kilometres (20 mi) southwest of Bogotá in the municipality of Soacha. Named after the adjacent settlement of Tequendama, it holds historical significance as one of Colombia's earliest permanent settlements.[1] The falls were painted in 1854 by Frederic Edwin Church.[2] One of the country's tourist attractions, the falls are located in a forested area 32 kilometres (20 mi) west of Bogotá. The river surges through a rocky gorge that narrows to about 18 metres (59 ft) at the brink of the 132 metres (433 ft) high falls. During the month of December the falls become completely dry. The falls, once a common site for suicides,[3] may be reached by road from Bogotá.

  1. ^ Ocampo López, 2007, p.27
  2. ^ "The Fall of Tequendama, Near Bogotá, New Granada - Frederic Church (American, b.1826, d.1900)".
  3. ^ Tequendama Falls - Encyclopædia Britannica