[1] The name Sutatenza comes from Chibcha and means either "Cloud behind the anchovy" or "Descending to the house of the cacique".

[1][2] In the time before the Spanish conquest, Sutatenza, situated in the Tenza Valley to the east of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, was ruled by a cacique called Tenzuzucá or Tenzucá, loyal to the zaque of Hunza.

Conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada in his quest for El Dorado and the rich emerald deposits of the Muisca Confederation visited Sutatenza in 1537.

[1] Sutatenza has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cfb)[3] with mild temperatures and frequent rainfall.

A dry season between December and February produces warmer and drier weather.