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The Cathedral Metropolitan Basilica of Bogotá & Primate of Colombia, officially the Cathedral Basilica Metropolitan & Primate of the Immaculate Conception & Saint Peter of Bogotá , is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at the eastern side of Bolívar Square in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. It is seat of the Archbishop of Bogotá, Cardinal Mon. Ruben Salazar Gomez.
The Cathedral was built four-times in the same place. The first construction took place between 1556-1565 to replace the original thatched chapel, but due to poor foundation it later collapsed. The second construction took place around in 1572, yet the earthquake of 1785 reduced it to ruins. The fourth and final construction occurred between 1807 and 1823. It is said to be built by descendants of Jesuit missionaries. When the Spanish conquerors officially founded the city of Bogotá (changing the original Indian name of the city: Bacata), they established in 12 huts and a hay-church, that -after being totally built- would take the name of Archbishopric Cathedral of Bogotá. The cathedral holds the remains of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, founder of Bogotá. The cathedral, its area 5,300 square meters, is the biggest in Colombia and one of the biggest ones in South America.
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The emerald toucanet or northern emerald toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) is a species of near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae occurring in mountainous regions of Mexico and Central America. Like other toucans, the emerald toucanet is brightly marked and has a large bill. The adult is 30–35 cm (12–14 in) long and weight can range from 118–230 g (4.2–8.1 oz).The sexes are alike in appearance, although the female generally is smaller and slightly shorter-billed. It is, as other members of the genus Aulacorhynchus, mainly green. The vent and tail-tip are rufous. The bill is black with yellow to the upper mandible (amount depends on the exact subspecies) and, in all except the nominate (prasinus) and wagleri groups , a white band at the base of the bill. The members of the caeruleogularis group have a rufous patch near the base of the upper mandible, while some members of the albivitta group have a rufous patch near the base of the lower mandible. The throat is white in the nominate and the wagleri group, blue in the caeruleogularis and cognatus group, pale grey-blue in the lautus group, blue or black in the atrogularis group, and white or grey-blue in the albivitta group. The eye-ring ranges from blue to red, in some subspecies very dark, almost appearing blackish from a distance. The legs are dull greyish and the iris is dark.
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The San Agustín culture is one of the ancient Pre-Columbian cultures of Colombia. Its beginnings go back at least to the fourth millennium B.C. Several hundred large monolithic sculptures have been found here. The origins of San Agustín culture go back to the thirty-third century BCE. A radiocarbon date of 3300±120 B.C. has been obtained for the Lavapatas site.
The chronology of the culture is divided into the following periods: the Archaic, the Formative, the Regional Classic Period (1-900 A.D.), and the Recent Period.
Similarly to the other parts of the Colombian Southwest, during the Archaic period, the inhabitants of the area already used various crops of wild origin. These were small groups of 15-25 people that frequently moved their camps. For their tools, they used stone and organic raw materials such as bone and shells. The polished stone axes with handle are similar to those of the Calima Valley. Small arrowheads and mortars are also similar to those of Popayán and Valle del Cauca.
The beginning of the Formative Period was during 1000-600 BC. At that time, there was widespread sedentary occupation near the fertile agricultural lands. Ceramics were already being produced. Corn, beans, quinua, manioc and yam were being planted. The dead were buried in shaft tombs located near their houses.
During the Regional Classic Period (1-900 AD), great earth mounds were built. They covered funerary dolmens that used large slabs. These were marked by stone statues of mythological beings. Nevertheless, these tombs had rather few offerings.
The ceramics were relatively crude and poorly decorated. Yet a very elaborate and technologically complex goldwork was being produced.
The Recent Period was during 900-1350 A.D. The population increased yet further. The systems of drainage channels and earthworks indicate that agriculture was actually intensified at this time.
The greatest flowering of San Agustín culture seems to have taken place from the 8th to the 1st century BC.
The ancient inhabitants who built the stone monuments abandoned the area by the 14th and 15th centuries AD. The reasons for this are unclear.
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