Before the Spanish conquest of the highlands of Colombia, the area of Floresta was inhabited by the Muisca, organized in their Muisca Confederation. In those days Floresta, together with Santa Rosa de Viterbo, was called Tobasía which is still the name of a corregimiento of the village. Tobasía was ruled by a "cacique" loyal to the ruler of Tundama, present-day Duitama.