Villa de Leyva is a colonial town and municipality, in the Boyacá department of Colombia, part of the subregion of the Ricaurte Province. The town is located 40 km west of Tunja and has a population of about 9,600 people. It is "three and a half hours by car or bus from Bogotá." Villa de Leyva is considered one of the finest colonial villages of Colombia, and was declared a National Monument on December 17, 1954 to preserve its architecture. It is located at a high altitude valley of 2,144 meters (7034.12 feet).