Tausa (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtawsa]) 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 2,950 metres (9,680 ft) (other parts of the municipality reach elevations of 3,700 metres (12,100 ft)) and a distance of 65 kilometres (40 mi) 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]

Tausa
Municipality and town
Church of Tausa
Church of Tausa
Flag of Tausa
Official seal of Tausa
Location of the municipality and town inside Cundinamarca Department of Colombia
Location of the municipality and town inside Cundinamarca Department of Colombia
Tausa is located in Colombia
Tausa
Tausa
Location in Colombia
Coordinates: 5°11′47″N 73°53′15″W / 5.19639°N 73.88750°W / 5.19639; -73.88750
Country Colombia
Department Cundinamarca
ProvinceUbaté Province
Founded2 August 1600
Government
 • MayorJaime Alexander Rodríguez Ballen
(2016-2019)
Area
 • Municipality and town204 km2 (79 sq mi)
 • Urban
2 km2 (0.8 sq mi)
Elevation
2,931 m (9,616 ft)
Population
 (2015)
 • Municipality and town8,801
 • Density43/km2 (110/sq mi)
 • Urban
1,058
Time zoneUTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)
WebsiteOfficial website

Etymology

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The name Tausa comes from Chibcha and means "tribute".[2]

History

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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]

Economy

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Main sources of income of Tausa are agriculture, livestock farming and salt mining.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c (in Spanish) Official website Tausa
  2. ^ Espejo Olaya, 1999, p.1124

Bibliography

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  • Espejo Olaya, Maria Bernarda (1999). Notas sobre toponimia en algunas coplas colombianas [Notes about toponomy of some Colombian ballads - Thesaurus] (PDF) (in Spanish). Vol. Tomo LIV, Núm. 3. pp. 1102–1157.