The temple was destroyed by fire brought by the Spanish conquistadores led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada who was eager to find the legendary El Dorado.

The columns surrounding the temple were built in three concentric rings made of wood harvested in Casanare.

[5] Spanish conquistador Jiménez de Quesada heard of the Sun Temple and entered Sogamoso in early September 1537.

Curious to see the treasures in the temple, two of his soldiers, Miguel Sánchez and Juan Rodríguez Parra went to the sacred place on the night of September 4, lighting their way with torches.

The small openings on the sides serve as a calendar; every year on December 22 the sunlight falls right on the central pillar.

Today the temple is part of the Archeology Museum of Sogamoso, governed by the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia based in Tunja.