Cundinamarca
/kundi.naËmaÉž.ka/noun
A department of central Colombia surroundingâbut not includingâthe Capital District of BogotĂĄ.
Did you know?The popular translation âcondorâs nestâ comes from a proposed Quechua readingâkuntur markaâbut scholars treat it cautiously because Cundinamarca was recorded through Spanish interpretations of Indigenous names.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Unknown Indigenous language
Uncertain
âThe original Indigenous name is not securely documented, and its exact language and meaning remain debated.â
16th Century
Spanish
Cundinamarca
âA Spanish-recorded name for the highland territory inhabited chiefly by Muisca-speaking peoples.â
16thâ17th Centuries
Colonial Spanish
Nuevo Reino de Granada
âThe broader colonial political region in which Cundinamarca was incorporated.â
1810
Spanish
Provincia de Cundinamarca
âName used for a revolutionary-era province during the independence movements in New Granada.â
1811
Spanish
Estado de Cundinamarca
âName of an early independent state centered on BogotĂĄ during the formation of Colombia.â
1886âPresent
Spanish
Departamento de Cundinamarca
âThe modern Colombian department bearing the historic name.â