The town of Chivor and its adjacent ore emerald deposits are located in the southern corner of the Department of Boyacá, about 160 miles from Bogotá, at an elevation of 6,170 feet. The mountainous landscape is heavily influenced by the abundance of waterfalls. Emerald mining in the region is centuries old, as evidenced by the oral traditions of our local friends. Among many others, the family name of Guatavita is living proof of the legacy and heritage of pre-Columbian chiefs.

El Púlpito mine is located about 15 miles from the town of Chivor. Soils change drastically in this region, as calcareous clays, typical of the Cáqueza formation, appear. Rivulets and creeks carry yellow sediments. Inside the tunnels, which are also abundant, one can find gray calcareous compact layers of clay. Lodes poor in pyrite can be seen, pointing at possible pockets containing emerald druzes. Dripping water from the tunnel ceilings carries ferrous residues leaking from the upper levels rich in yellow clayish metamorphic rocks known as schists. 

Quartz crystals, the most ancient of the local minerals, as well as pyrite cubes and layers of albite, are found in local samples. The paragenetic sequence of these minerals is quartz, pyrite, emeralds and albite. Consequently, at Chivor one can find emerald crystals enclosing pyrite cubes or thin emerald crystals piercing through quartz crystals. These uncommon geological features speak of the distant past of these minerals and their genesis.

<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Zona Esmeraldifera de Chivor. </h3>
<p><br />El municipio de Chivor y sus minas aledañas al casco urbano del mismo, están ubicadas a unos 250 Kilómetros de la capital a una altura de 1850 msnm. El paisaje montañoso esta afectado poderosamente por caídas de agua, elemento que es sumamente abundante en la zona. La actividad minera se remonta siglos atrás: la tradición oral de nuestros amigos nativos es prueba de ello. Muestra de dicho legado, el apellido Guatavita, entre otros, como herencia de caciques prehispánicos.</p>
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