Chivor

Colombia produces a large share of the world's emeralds and the finest of them, and Chivor is one of the three historic districts along with Muzo and Coscuez. The Muisca worked these deposits before the conquest and traded the stones widely; the Spanish took the mines over and the mines at Chivor lay abandoned for centuries until they were taken up again in 1886. Mining here is from tunnels driven into the hillside, with material brought out and sorted, and guaqueros - independent washers - work the tailings and the riverbed below the mines by hand, sifting gravel in the water for stones that were missed. Some mines take visitors with local arrangement. The setting is steep green mountain above a reservoir.

History

The Muisca knew and mined the emeralds here long before the Spanish, using them as offerings, ornaments and money, and the name Chivor is said to mean green and rich land. Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada found the deposits in 1537, but the mines lay abandoned until 1886, and the modern town was founded on 16 December 1930 by Florencio Novoa (Wikipedia, Chivor).

Highlights

• Tunnel mines in the hillside - the working method here.
• Guaqueros washing tailings - sifting the river by hand.
• One of three historic emerald districts - with Muzo and Coscuez.
• A steep green setting - above the Chivor reservoir.

When to go

December to March, the drier months. A full day.

Practical notes

Mine visits are informal and arranged locally, not organised tours. Buying stones without expertise is a good way to be sold badly. Roads are rough. The emerald trade has a hard history and the region has been contested at times.

Nearby

Guateque and the Valle de Tenza are west; Garagoa is north.

Key facts