The word Facatativá comes from the indigenous Chibcha language spoken by the Muisca who inhabited the area of Facatativá before the Spanish conquest. It has been translated and interpreted differently over time. The historically accepted translation is "fenced fort at the end of the plains" ("Cercado fuerte al final de la llanura") although it has also been translated as "fenced fort outside the farming soil" ("Cercado fuerte a las afueras de la labranza") This refers to the town being at the edge of the Bogotá savanna.