192 SOUTH AMEEICA— THE ANITES REGIONS. 



or in the upland valleys. Such are Onzaga and Mogotcs, the latter about 3 

 miles from the Hoyo de los Pâjaros (" Birds' Hole "), a chasm GOO feet deep and 

 only 150 in circumference, in which hover flocks of the same species of " devil- 

 bird " that frequents the Caripe caves. 



San Andres, noted for its schools, stands at an elevation of over 6,500 feet, in 

 a mountain valley near Lake Ortices, about midway between the industrious town 

 of Malaga in the south-east and the flourishing city of Bucaramanga in the Lebrija 

 valley. South of this place flows the Suarez (Sara vita), which joins the Sogamoso 

 in one of the most rugged regions of Colombia, where the river gorges, with 

 their terraces, overhanging cliffs, and steep escarpments, resemble the canons of 

 Colorado. Between Sube and Los Santos, in this district, the Sogamoso is spanned 

 by the first iron suspension-bridge ei'ected in Colombia. 



Ukate — Lei VA — Socorro — Zapatoca. 



Lake Fuquene, source of the Suarez, lies within the central province of Cun- 

 dinamarca, where is also situated the ancient Muysca fortress of Ubaté. North 

 of the lake, at the northern verge of the old lacustrine basin, stands Chiquinquira 

 ("City of Fogs "), which, although of Spanish foundation, still bears a Muysca 

 name. It is a noted place of pilgrimage, whose " Miraculous Virgin " is said in 

 some years to attract as many as 60,000 devotees. Thanks to this continual 

 concourse, Chiquinquira has grown wealthy, and is at present the largest city in 

 the province of Boyaca 



Some six miles north of Chiquinquira, near the village of Sahoija, is seen 

 the most remarkable rock inscription in Colombia. The surface is covered with 

 painted characters, most of which are unfortunately overgrown by lichens. The 

 inscription, which has not yet been deciphered, is supposed by the natives to 

 contain directions regarding certain hidden treasures, while Ancizar and other 

 antiquaries infer from the representation of the frog, symbol of " copious waters," 

 that it refers to the deluge caused hy the overflow of Lake Fuquene into the deep 

 gorge apparently indicated by the paintings. 



Leiva, standing east of Chiquinquira at an altitude of 6,500 feet, near the site 

 of an old Muysca city, possesses copper-, silver-, and sulphur-mines, and has become 

 a centre of the wine and olive industries. Moniquira, north-west of Leiva, also 

 lies in a mineral district, and its copper-mines are at present the most productive 

 in Colombia. 



Immediately below the confluence of the Rio Moniquira the Suarez has the 

 province of Santander on its left bank. Above the confluence it is spanned by 

 the Puente Nacional ("National," formerly "Royal," Bridge), which gives its 

 name to a large settlement marking the site of an old fair field frequented by the 

 Chibcha, Guanes, and Agataes Indians. From this point the i-oute ascends 

 westwards to the pleasant little town of Jesus Maria, and northwards to the city 

 of Velez (7,190 feet), founded in 1539 in an important strategical position near 

 the divide between the upper Sogamoso basin and the Carare and Open river 



