Tunja

Tunja
Municipality and city
From the top: Main Cathedral, Bust of Juan de Castellanos in the Plaza de Bolívar de Tunja, Statue of Simon Bolivar in the main square, Bridge of Boyacá, Tunja Central Square and Panoramic from the north.
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Tunja in the department of Boyacá
Tunja Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 5°32′N 73°22′W / 5.533°N 73.367°W / 5.533; -73.367
Country	Colombia
Department	Boyacá
Province	Central Boyacá Province
Founded	6 August 1539 (485 Years ago)
Established	March 29, 1541
Founded by	Gonzalo Suárez Rendón
Government
• Mayor	Mikhail Krasnov (2024-2027)
Area
• Municipality and city	119.7 km2 (46.2 sq mi)
• Urban	21.51 km2 (8.31 sq mi)
Elevation	2,820 m (9,250 ft)
Population  (2018 census)[1]
• Municipality and city	172,548
• Density	1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi)
• Urban	163,894
• Urban density	7,600/km2 (20,000/sq mi)
• Metro	243,330
Demonym	Tunjano
Postal code	150001-150009
Area code	57 + 8
Website	http://www.tunja-boyaca.gov.co - https://www.tunjaculturayturismo.gov.co/inicio/
IGAC - DANE - DIAN.

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History and timeline
Prehistory Herrera Period Muisca Confederation Bacatá Hunza Suamox Tundama Spanish conquest Gonzalo Hernán Others
v t e

Tunja (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtuŋxa]) is a municipality and city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 the municipality had a population of 172,548.^[1] It is the capital of Boyacá department and the Central Boyacá Province. Tunja is an important educational centre of well-known universities. In the time before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, there was an indigenous settlement, called Hunza, seat of the hoa Eucaneme, conquered by the Spanish conquistadors on August 20, 1537. The Spanish city was founded by captain Gonzalo Suárez Rendón on August 6, 1539, exactly one year after the capital Santafé de Bogotá. The city hosts the most remaining Muisca architecture: Hunzahúa Well, Goranchacha Temple and Cojines del Zaque.

Tunja is a tourist destination, especially for religious colonial architecture, with the Casa Fundador Gonzalo Suárez Rendón as oldest remnant.^[2] In addition to its religious and historical sites it is host to several internationally known festivals and is a jumping-off point for regional tourist destinations such as Villa de Leyva, Paipa, and Sierra Nevada del Cocuy. It is a stop on the Pan American Highway which connects Tunja to Bogotá and Santa Marta and eventually to the northern and southernmost parts of South America.