Tunja, Colonial capital in Eastern Ranges, Colombia
Description
Tunja is a large settlement in the Eastern Ranges of Colombia, sitting at 2782 meters (9127 feet) above sea level within Central Boyacá Province. The city preserves colonial buildings, churches, and traces of indigenous heritage across a mountainous setting shaped by a cool high-altitude climate.
History
Captain Gonzalo Suárez Rendón founded the settlement on August 6, 1539, on the site of the former indigenous town of Hunza, governed by the Muisca civilization. This refoundation marked the start of Spanish rule in the region and reshaped the urban layout permanently.
Culture
The Museo Casa del Fundador displays ceiling murals with exotic animals that artists painted from European literature without ever seeing the creatures in real life. These imaginative works connect colonial ideas with skilled craftsmanship and offer insight into how people pictured the world back then.
Practical
The center gathers many hotels, restaurants, and craft breweries within walking distance of each other. The central bus terminal connects the city to other major places in Colombia and makes onward travel straightforward.
Did you know?
The Casa de Don Juan de Vargas revealed hidden animal-filled murals when an old ceiling collapsed one day. This accidental discovery preserved artworks from the early colonial period that had remained unseen for centuries.
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Puente de Boyacá
12.6 km
Hunzahúa Well
969 m
Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle, Tunja
741 m
Plaza de Bolívar
866 m
La pila del mono
969 m
Paja Formation
16 km
Paredón de los Mártires
1.4 km
Cojines del Zaque
969 m
Iglesia de Santo Domingo
901 m
Yacimiento rupestre de Sáchica
18.5 km
Monumento a la Raza Indígena
969 m
Plaza Real de Tunja
969 m
Claustro de San Agustín
901 m
Bosque de la República
969 m
Iglesia de las Nieves
901 m
Alto de San Lázaro
1.8 km
Palacio de la Torre
969 mParque Pinzón
969 m
Columna a los mártires
969 mPasaje de Vargas
969 mChapelle doctrinale de Sora
10.2 kmParque de Recreaciön
9 kmMarketplace
296 mIglesia Adventista del Séptimo Día
540 mMirador del Cacique Chivatá
8.7 kmPinturas Rupestres Sáchica
18.4 kmTEATRO BOYACÁ
553 mPanorámica Samacá
14.4 kmDiscover hidden gems everywhere you go!
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