Tausa | |
Settlement Type: | Municipality and town |
Mapsize: | 250px |
Pushpin Map: | Colombia |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Colombia |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Colombia |
Subdivision Type1: | Department |
Subdivision Type2: | Province |
Subdivision Name2: | Ubaté Province |
Leader Title: | Mayor |
Leader Name: | Jaime Alexander Rodríguez Ballen (2016-2019) |
Established Title: | Founded |
Established Date: | 2 August 1600 |
Area Total Km2: | 204 |
Area Urban Km2: | 2 |
Population As Of: | 2015 |
Population Total: | 8801 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Population Urban: | 1058 |
Coordinates: | 5.1964°N -73.8875°W |
Timezone: | Colombia Standard Time |
Utc Offset: | -5 |
Elevation M: | 2931 |
Website: | Official website |
Tausa (pronounced as /es/) is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Ubaté Province, part of the department of Cundinamarca. Tausa is and was an important town on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense due to its salt mine. It was the third most prolific salt deposit for the original inhabitants of the area; the Muisca. Tausa's urban centre is located at an elevation of 2950m (9,680feet) (other parts of the municipality reach elevations of 3700m (12,100feet)) and a distance of 65km (40miles) from the capital Bogotá. The municipality borders San Cayetano, Carmen de Carupa and Sutatausa in the north, Pacho in the west, Sutatausa, Cucunubá and Suesca in the east and in the south with Nemocón and Cogua.[1]
The name Tausa comes from Chibcha and means "tribute".[2]
Tausa was inhabited since the Herrera Period. The town was an important mining location of halite for the Muisca. The zipa of Bacatá ruled over Tausa. The mining activities can be seen in the seal of the village; the pick and spade.
Modern Tausa was founded on August 2, 1600.[1]
Main sources of income of Tausa are agriculture, livestock farming and salt mining.[1]