TURMEQUE
Tejo, Tradition, Culture, Memory, History and Muisca Heritage
TURMEQUÉ (RURMEQUÉ, VIGOROUS BOSS)
Turmequé is a municipality in the south east of the department of Boyacá (Province of Márquez), with an agricultural vocation. Due to its geographical location and events, it stands out for its landscapes, culture, heritage and stories. It is a municipality with a cold climate (14° average temperature), with a population of 6,544 people (2020 Census) who are concentrated, mostly in rural areas.
Rurmequé, as this territory was known by the Muiscas, and which, with the arrival on July 20, 1537 of the Spanish to these lands, under the command of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, would be called Turmequé. It is the land of Don Diego de Torres, Precursor of Human Rights, First Cartographer and First Exporter of Tejo, a municipality declared a Republican Village in 1810, for his contributions to the independence cause. Due to its value and architectural wealth, in 1889, it was declared a National Monument.
We are the Cradle of the Turmequé Game, declared an Autochthonous Game in the mid-20th century, a National Game in the year 2000 and the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation in the year 2019. In turn, Turmequé stands out for its wealth of Colonial Religious Art, concentrated in the Nuestra Señora del Rosario Parish Temple, Mural Painting, with dry fresco art that were created as a tool of evangelization to the indigenous tribes by the Spanish, due to the conflict they encountered due to linguistic differences, as well as paintings and preserved archives dating back to the 16th century.
Turmequé is a privileged municipality for its attractions framed in its Natural Wealth, Landscapes, Traditions, Culture, History, and Cultural Heritage. With a wide variety of lodging services, restaurants, nature activities, adventure sports, among others. A municipality that has a privileged location, 2 hours from the capital of the country and one hour from the capital of the department of Boyacá, makes it a municipality of passage and a mandatory visit.
Among its main attractions are:
Historic Center comprised of: Diego de Torres main park and its monuments. Nuestra Señora del Rosario Parish with its characteristic colonial religious art and architecture. Nuestra Señora del Rosario Chapel, Old Cemetery and the characteristic Colonial Architecture around its park.
The gastronomic richness, which not only exalts typical dishes such as Cuchuco de Maiz, Envueltos, Mute Soups or Cocido Boyacense, but Corn, being next to potatoes, the agricultural product par excellence in our region , allows a great variety of mixtures, among which the Arepas stuffed with Cheese, the Almojábanas and the Garullas, as well as the traditional artisanal Corn Chicha, are without a doubt, the greatest delight to the palate for locals and visitors. Likewise, Colaciones or Wheat Crackers in the shape of Yew are gaining great strength in our region. Likewise, the traditional cuisine of the Cundiboyacense Altiplano and the specialized cuisine based on organic products make this entire gastronomic offer widely recognized nationally.
The La Rastra Trail with its Pozo Negro Hill, the El Molino Teguatá Trail, the Ancestral Trail and the Guacheneque Páramo Trail, along with royal roads, Ancient Mills and Tutelares Hills, with the Railway Line among others, are part of the natural wealth that is combined with ancestral traditions and oral tradition, in the land that invites us to know the legacy of Don Diego De Torres y Moyachoque (Cacique Rurmequeteba).
Among our Fairs, the celebration of Holy Week, the Festivities of Our Lady of Carmen, Patron Saint Festivities in Honor of Our Lady of the Rosary of Turmequé, Festival of the Turmequé Game and Peasant Culture and the big festival of the families of this municipality, the Aguinaldo Turmequense.
Likewise, throughout the year, different cultural, commemorative, sporting, recreational or base events are held on the sidewalks, peasant markets, cultural exhibitions, which increase the offer of what to do and see in our Municipality.
Come to Turmequé Boyacá, land of ancestral charm, oral tradition and customs typical of the native Boyacá, which are preserved and transmitted from generation to generation.