Villa de Leyva
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| Villa de Leyva | |||
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| Nickname: Villa de Nuestra Señora de Santa Maria de Leyva |
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| Region | Andean Region (Colombia) | ||
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| Department | Boyacá Department* | ||
| Foundation | June 12, 1572 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Luis Alfredo Igua Sáenz | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 128 km² (49.4 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 2,000 m (6,562 ft) | ||
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| Website: villadeleyva-boyaca.gov.co | |||
Villa de Leyva (sometimes spelled Villa de Leiva) is a colonial town and municipality , in the Boyacá department, part of the the subregion of the Ricaurte Province. The town is located some 40 km west of Tunja and has a population of about 4,000 people. Villa de Leyva is considered one of the finest colonial villages of Colombia, and was declared a National Monument in December 17, 1954 to preserve its architecture. It is located in a high altitude valley at 2,144 m altitude where fossils from the Mesozoic and the Cretaceous abound.
It was founded in June 12, 1572 by Hernán Suarez de Villalobos and named after the first president of the New Kingdom of Granada, Andrés Díaz Venero de Leyva.
Among the main areas of interests are the Main Square ("Plaza Mayor") where besides the Church, many restaurants and stores selling some handcrafted art pieces. Most of the streets around the downtown are made of stones, similar to colonial times.
Near the town itself and about a 30 minutes drive away from the main square several attractions can be found, an ostrich farm, a museum (el fosil) and an old astronomic observatory made of phallic stones ("El Infernito", for "little hell" in Spanish). There is also a group of seven waterfalls named "La Periquera" Some 15 km away from the town.
The El Fósil (Spanish for the fossil) museum has an almost complete kronosaurus fossil in display, in the same place in which it was found in 1977.
[edit] Villa de Leyva in popular culture
- Part of the film Cobra Verde by Werner Herzog was filmed here.
- A Spanish-language soap opera version of the Zorro story has been filmed here, as of 2007, by the Colombian production company RTI, distributed in the United States by Telemundo.
[edit] References
- Villa de Leyva official local government website
- Villa de Leyva, La Guía Hotelera y Turística de Villa de Leyva, Boyaca, Colombia
- Villa de Leyva, Colombia
- Weekend tours from Bogotá to Villa de Leyva
- See also: List of municipalities in Boyacá
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