Soacha

Soacha on the map of Cundinamarca

Soacha is a city in Colombia. It is located in the province of Cundinamarca, just south of Bogotá in the Sabana de Bogotá and has 402 007 inhabitants (as of 2005).

History

Even before the colonization there was a settlement called Chibcha Guacha at the site of the present Soacha. 1600 founded the Spaniard Luis Henríquez the new location Suacha, but until the mid-19th century was an insignificant village.

According to a census on September 4, 1759 living in Soacha 332 Indians, and in the population registers were 430 personas. Eleven years later lived Statistics show that 611 Indians and 718 whites in Soacha.

On July 12, 1785 an earthquake destroyed the church of the village, which was built up to 1791 again. On 16 November 1827 a new church was destroyed by another earthquake; the then newly built church suffered on September 1, 1917, the same fate. It was renovated in 1921 and inaugurated new and damaged again by the earthquake on February 9, 1967.

1875, the town was renamed in Soacha and recognized as an official place in the province of Cundinamarca. In 1895 the construction of the south line of the railway from Bogotá, which led to the then 18 kilometers away Soacha and was completed in 1898. A year later the railway line was extended to the Tequendama Falls, and Soacha was connected to the telegraph network.

20th and 21st centuries

1900 in Soacha, a hydroelectric plant was completed, which provided the capital Bogotá with electricity, 1950 a dam was built to expand the production of electricity. In addition, the road was extended to Bogota, so that from then the place with the capital linked to buses. The railroad lost its importance and turned 1989 definitively ceased operation.

According to the census in 1973 had almost 28,000 inhabitants Soacha, 1985 it was already with 122 276 inhabitants, the second largest city Cundinamarcas to Girardot.

Soacha became known as there, the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party, Luis Carlos Galán, was assassinated at a campaign event on 18 August 1989.

Geography and infrastructure

Due to the geographic proximity to the capital Soacha is currently one of the fastest growing cities of Colombia. The population has more than tripled since 1985 and currently amounts to more than 300 000 inhabitants. Soacha closes seamlessly upon the misery belts in the south of Bogotá, and has a similar social structure, marked by poverty and lack. Since the early 1990s, Bogotá Bosa district grew so much that the city boundary is no longer visible from the main road. In particular, on the mountain slopes east of the city are constantly emerging neighborhoods that have virtually no infrastructure. Most residents commute to work in Bogota.

By Soacha the highway one of the main east-west thoroughfares of Colombia runs the Autopista Sur, according to Girardot, Ibague and the Cauca Valley. In the future, the TransMilenio bus system of the capital Bogotá is to continue to Soacha.

Besides the many slaughterhouses have settled in recent years on the southern edge of Soacha many large factories. One hand this leads to a high environmental impact, on the other hand locally numerous jobs are thereby created.

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Joaquín Piñeros Corpas (1915-1982), writer and politician
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