Jaboque, Protected wetland in Engativá, Colombia.
Jaboque is a protected wetland in northwestern Bogotá that spans across multiple sections and functions as a natural water drainage system. Three water channels flow through the area and create an interconnected habitat.
The wetland is known for pre-Hispanic monoliths that the Muisca placed near the Bogotá River and used as reference points to determine the right times for sowing and harvesting. Because the savanna was often flooded, they paid special attention to the start of dry seasons, when they could grow crops such as maize and potatoes. The wetland was declared a District Ecological Wetland Park by Decree 190 of 2004.
Jaboque means "land of abundance" in Muysccubun, the language of the Muisca who inhabited the Bogotá savanna before the Spanish conquest. Near the wetland they built an astronomical observatory and placed monoliths beside the Bogotá River, using them to fix the start of the dry seasons for planting maize and potatoes.
The wetland lies between El Dorado airport and the Medellín highway in Engativá, with the Bogotá River along its western edge. A paved brick path runs beside a straight water channel bordered by a low concrete curb, giving walkers a firm footing along the water. Organic material from wastewater outlets drives eutrophication and sedimentation, so expect dark water with floating plants such as water lentil.
Jaboque has 81 registered bird species, four of them endemic, including the Bogotá Marsh Antbird and the Blue-winged Mountain Tanager. The wetland lies in the Juan Amarillo River basin, about 3 kilometres from Tibabuyes wetland, and both connect indirectly through the Bogotá River.
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