San José de Suaita Facts for Kids

Factory ruins

San José de Suaita is a small village in Colombia. It is located about 200 kilometers (about 124 miles) north of Bogotá. This village is in the Santander Department. San José de Suaita used to be a busy industrial town, especially known for its factories. In 1924, it officially became a "corregimiento," which is a type of local administrative area.

Life in San José de Suaita
A Look Back at History
Cotton Mill Museum
Wildlife and Nature
Gallery
See also

Life in San José de Suaita

About 1,212 people live in San José de Suaita. Some live in the main village area, and many more live in the countryside nearby. There are around 280 homes. In many of these homes (about 40%), there are children under 18 years old. About 9% of homes have a person over 65 living there. On average, families in San José de Suaita have about four people.

This village is changing a lot. It used to be a place with many factory jobs. Now, it is becoming more focused on farming. Because there are not many jobs left, many people are moving to bigger cities to find work.

A Look Back at History

San José de Suaita was once a piece of land owned by the rich Caballero family. This family was very important in politics and owned several properties in the area. While they had owned other lands like Silvania for a long time, San José de Suaita was given to them more recently.

A former president of Colombia, Alfonso López Michelsen, even wrote about the history of this town in his book called Pending Words.

Cotton Mill Museum

The Cotton Mill Museum and Factory of San José de Suaita is a special place. It is located in what used to be the Inscomercial High School building. The museum opened in 2006. A French expert named Pierre Raymond helped start it. He wanted to make sure the history of Colombia's important cotton industry was remembered.

At the museum, you can learn all about textiles and how they are made. Textiles are fabrics like cotton cloth. The museum shows how craftspeople, factory workers, and inventors helped create these materials. You can see old machines and even watch people operate them to understand how cloth was made.

The museum also teaches visitors about the big changes that happened in San José de Suaita from 1900 until today. It covers how technology, the economy, society, and the environment have shaped the village.

Wildlife and Nature

San José de Suaita is home to a private wildlife sanctuary. This special area covers about 1,000 acres (or 4 square kilometers). It is filled with many types of hardwood trees, including large oak trees. This sanctuary helps protect the local plants and animals.