History of Villa de Leyva

he infant. It took years before when the boy became a man and joined Bachué, so were having children that populated the Earth, she, after completing their mission, they returned to the waters of Iguaque converted into two large snakes and now in the depths of the lake.

Conquest

Once at the Spanish conquistadors were deep into the territory of the Muisca who offered little resistance. The entrance of the conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada to the territory, towards Zipa lands, gave the northern end - west. In March 1537, his step was for Sorocota, Moniquirá Valley, Suta and Tinjacá. From there all the territory within the new colonial administrative division, was under the jurisdiction of the province of Tunja and the village of Sáchica. Behind the horses and predation evangelists came to the area: a temple built by the year 1533 which today are the ruins, the temple was abandoned due to indigenous migration caused by poor soil and food shortages. The Candelaria convent (founded by the Augustinians in 1604 and Santo Ecce Homo (founded by the Dominicans in 1620), came as other evangelistic center.

The founding charter of the town of Santa Maria de Leyva was signed on June 12 of 1572 by Hernan Suarez de Villalobos, Deputy Mayor and Chief Justice of the city of Tunja, Tunja Mayor, Aldermen Miguel Sanchez and Francisco Rodriguez Perpetual and Diego Montanez, "in fulfillment of the commission and car provided by his honor the president," the Real Audiencia of New Granada Andrés Díaz Venero de Leyva .

The main purpose for the founding of the town was to create a place where the Spanish soldiers, after the war of conquest could also be established by solving