All Topics  
Muisca

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Muisca



 
 
Muisca refers to a nation of the Chibchan Culture that formed the Muisca Confederation encountered by the Spanish at the time of the conquest of what is now part of central Colombia in 1537. The Muisca were comprised of two confederations: the Hunza
Hunza

Hunza may refer to*Hunza Valley*Former Hunza *Hunza River*Hunza Peak*Hunza people*Hunza is the Muisca name of the city of Tunja, Colombia...
, whose sovereign was the Zaque and the Bacatá, whose sovereign was the Zipa. Both confederations were located in the highlands of modern-day Cundinamarca and Boyacá
Boyacá Department

Boyac? is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia"....
 (Altiplano Cundiboyacense
Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The Altiplano Cundiboyacense is a set of highlands located on the Cordillera Oriental, Colombia of the Colombian Andes between the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyac? Department....
) in the central area of Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's Eastern Range
Cordillera Oriental

Cordillera Oriental from the Spanish language meaning "Eastern range" may refer to:* Cordillera Oriental * Cordillera Oriental * Cordillera Oriental ...
.

The territory of the Muisca spanned an area of 46,972 km² (a region slightly larger than Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
) from the North of Boyacá
Boyacá Department

Boyac? is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia"....
 to the Sumapaz Páramo and from the summits of the Eastern Range
Cordillera Oriental, Colombia

The Cordillera Oriental is one of three main mountain ranges that divides the Cordillera in the Andes Mountains of Colombia.It extends from southeast to northeast from the Nudo de Almaguer, or the "Colombia Mountain Mass" in Cauca Department to the Serrania del Perija in La Guajira....
 to the Magdalena Valley.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Muisca'
Start a new discussion about 'Muisca'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Muisca refers to a nation of the Chibchan Culture that formed the Muisca Confederation encountered by the Spanish at the time of the conquest of what is now part of central Colombia in 1537. The Muisca were comprised of two confederations: the Hunza
Hunza

Hunza may refer to*Hunza Valley*Former Hunza *Hunza River*Hunza Peak*Hunza people*Hunza is the Muisca name of the city of Tunja, Colombia...
, whose sovereign was the Zaque and the Bacatá, whose sovereign was the Zipa. Both confederations were located in the highlands of modern-day Cundinamarca and Boyacá
Boyacá Department

Boyac? is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia"....
 (Altiplano Cundiboyacense
Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The Altiplano Cundiboyacense is a set of highlands located on the Cordillera Oriental, Colombia of the Colombian Andes between the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyac? Department....
) in the central area of Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's Eastern Range
Cordillera Oriental

Cordillera Oriental from the Spanish language meaning "Eastern range" may refer to:* Cordillera Oriental * Cordillera Oriental * Cordillera Oriental ...
.

The territory of the Muisca spanned an area of 46,972 km² (a region slightly larger than Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
) from the North of Boyacá
Boyacá Department

Boyac? is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia"....
 to the Sumapaz Páramo and from the summits of the Eastern Range
Cordillera Oriental, Colombia

The Cordillera Oriental is one of three main mountain ranges that divides the Cordillera in the Andes Mountains of Colombia.It extends from southeast to northeast from the Nudo de Almaguer, or the "Colombia Mountain Mass" in Cauca Department to the Serrania del Perija in La Guajira....
 to the Magdalena Valley. It bordered the territories of the Panches and Pijaos tribes.

It had a large population during the Spanish Conquest, but the actual number of inhabitants is unknown. The languages of the Muisca were Chibchan, Muysca and Mosca which belong to the Chibchan-Paezan linguistic family. The economy was based on agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
, metalworking
Metalworking

Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships, bridges and oil refineries to delicate jewellery....
 and manufacturing
Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the use of machine, tool and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to Industry production, in which raw material are transformed into finished good on a large scale....
.

Political and administrative organization


The Muisca people were organized in a Confederation
Confederation

Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense , foreign affairs, or a common currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all members....
 that was the union of states, which kept their own sovereignty within the greater political body. The Confederation was not a kingdom
Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which supreme power is absolutely or nominally lodged in an individual, who is the head of state, often for Life tenure or until abdication, and "is wholly set apart from all other members of the state." The person who heads a monarchy is called a monarch....
, as there was no absolute monarch, nor was it an Empire
Empire

Empire derives from the Latin word imperium, denoting ?military command? in Roman. Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
 because it did not dominate other ethnic groups or peoples. Accordingly, the Muisca Confederation cannot be compared with other American civilizations such as the Aztec Empire or the Inca Empire. The Muisca Confederation was, however, one of the biggest and best organized confederations of tribes on the continent.

Every tribe within the confederation was ruled by its chief or cacique
Cacique

Cacique or Cazique from the ta?no word for the pre-Columbian tribal Tribal chief, of the Taino tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles....
. The tribe had its autonomy and it was a cell of the confederation. The bulk of the tribes belonged to the same Muisca ethnic group, sharing the same language and culture and relating through trade. They united in the face of a common enemy and for this reason the army was the full responsibility of the Zipa or Zaque. The army was made by the güeches, the honoured traditional ancient warriors of the Muisca people.

The Muisca people were in fact organized into two confederations. The southern confederation, headed by the Zipa, had its capital at Bacatá (today Bogotá
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
). This southern polity included the majority of the Muisca population and held greater economic power. The northern confederation was ruled by the Zaque, and had its capital at Hunza
Hunza

Hunza may refer to*Hunza Valley*Former Hunza *Hunza River*Hunza Peak*Hunza people*Hunza is the Muisca name of the city of Tunja, Colombia...
, known today as Tunja
Tunja

Tunja is a city and municipality in Colombia, capital of the Boyac? Department Departments of Colombia and part of the subregion of the Central Boyac? Province....
. Although both confederations had common political relations and affinities and belonged to the same nation, there were still rivalries between them. Among the confederations there were four chiefdoms: Bacatá, Hunza
Hunza

Hunza may refer to*Hunza Valley*Former Hunza *Hunza River*Hunza Peak*Hunza people*Hunza is the Muisca name of the city of Tunja, Colombia...
, Duitama and Sogamoso
Sogamoso

Sogamoso is a town and municipio in Boyac? Department, Colombia, part of the Sugamuxi Province a subregion of Boyac?. It was originally called Suamox, meaning "City of the Sun" in the local Chibcha language....
. The chiefdom was composed by localities. The tribes were divided in Capitanías (ruled by a Capitan and there were two kinds: Great Capitania (sybyn) and Minor Capitania (uta). The status of Capitan was inherited by maternal lineage.

Confederation (Zipa or Zaque) --> Priests (Iraca) --> Chiefdoms (Cacique) --> Capitanía (Capitan) --> Sybyn --> Uta

  • Territories of the Zipa (Divided in four districts):
  1. Bacatá District: Teusaquillo
    Teusaquillo

    Teusaquillo is the 13th locality of Bogot?, capital of Colombia. It is located in the geographic center of the city, to the northwest of downtown....
    , Tenjo
    Tenjo

    Tenjo is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Subachoque
    Subachoque

    Subachoque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Facatativá
    Facatativá

    Facatativ? is a town and Municipalities of Colombia in the Cundinamarca Department, located about 28 miles northwest of Bogot?, Colombia and 2,586 meters above sea level....
    , Tabio
    Tabio

    Tabio is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Cota, Chía, Usaquén
    Usaquén

    Usaqu?n is a residential and commercial area in northern Bogot?, capital of Colombia. Although it is designated on maps with the number 1, it was a separate municipality of Cundinamarca until 1954, when it was annexed into the city....
    , Engativá
    Engativá

    Engativ?, which translates to Chieftain of Inga, was a municipality of Cundinamarca, but became a locality of Bogot?, Colombia when Bogot? was made "Special District" ....
    , Suba
    Suba

    Suba may refer to:*Suba , a people of Kenya**Suba language*Suba , a people of Tanzania*Suba District, in Nyanza Province of Kenya*Suba , a locality of Bogot?...
    , Sopó
    Sopó

    Sop? is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Usme
    Usme

    Usme is the 5th locality of the Bogot?, Capital District of Bogot?, capital city of Colombia. Usme is located in the southwestern part of Bogot? limiting to the north with the localities of San Crist?bal , Rafael Uribe Uribe and Tunjuelito, to the west with the locality of Ciudad Bol?var , to the south with the locality of Sumapaz , and t...
     and Zipacón
    Zipacón

    Zipac?n is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    .
  2. Fusagasugá District
    Fusagasugá

    Fusagasug? is a town and municipality in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca, in central Colombia. It is located some forty miles from the capital, Bogot?....
    : Fusagasugá
    Fusagasugá

    Fusagasug? is a town and municipality in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca, in central Colombia. It is located some forty miles from the capital, Bogot?....
    , Pasca
    Pasca

    Pasca is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department department of Colombia located over the Andes mountains. It belongs to the Sumapaz province....
     and Tibacuy
    Tibacuy

    Tibacuy is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    .
  3. Zipaquirá District
    Zipaquirá

    Zipaquir? is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Tausa and Cogua to the north; Nemoc?n, Gachancip? and Sop? to the east; Cajic? and Tabio to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho to the west....
    : Nemocón
    Nemocón

    Nemoc?n is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Susa
    Susa

    Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian Empire and Parthian empires of Iran, located about 250 km east of the Tigris River.The modern town of Shush, Iran is located at the site of ancient Susa....
    , Lenguazaque
    Lenguazaque

    Lenguazaque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Ubaté
    Ubaté

    Ubat? is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department, Colombia. Its name comes from the native name "Ebate" meaning "Bloodied Land"....
    , Simijaca
    Simijacá

    Simijaca , from the extinct Chibchan languages meaning owl's beak, is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department, Colombia. The town is located at and has an altitude of 2559 metres....
     and Chocontá
    Chocontá

    Chocont? is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca. It is located on the Pan-American Highway.In 1938 Choconta had a population of 2,041....
    .
  4. Gachetá District
    Gacheta

    Gacheta is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    : Gachetá
    Gacheta

    Gacheta is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Guatavita
    Guatavita

    Guatavita is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca.External links...
     and Suesca
    Suesca

    Suesca is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca.It is located north of Bogota, and makes part of the Sabana de Bogota....
    .
  • Territories of the Zaque: Soratá
    Sorata

    Sorata is a small town in the La Paz Department, Bolivia in the Bolivian Andes, northwest of the city of La Paz and east of Lake Titicaca. It is the seat of the Larecaja Province and the Sorata Municipality....
    , Ramiriquí
    Ramiriquí

    Ramiriqu? is a town and municipality in the Colombia Departments of Colombia of Boyac? Department, part of the the subregion of the M?rquez Province....
    , Machetá
    Machetá

    ?Machet? is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Tenza
    Tenza

    Tenza is a town and municipality in the Colombia Departments of Colombia of Boyac? Department, part of the the subregion of the Eastern Boyac? Province....
    , Tibirito, Lenguazaque
    Lenguazaque

    Lenguazaque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
     and Turmequé
    Turmequé

    Turmequ? is a town and municipality in the Colombia Departments of Colombia of Boyac? Department, part of the the subregion of the M?rquez Province....
    .
  • Territory of Tundama: Cerinza
    Cerinza

    Cerinza is a town and municipality in the Colombia Departments of Colombia of Boyac? Department. Cerinza is also part of the Tundama Province a subregion of Boyaca....
    , Ocabitá, Onzaga
    Onzaga

    Onzaga is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia....
    , Ibacucu, Sativa
    Sativa

    The name sativus , sativum , or sativa is found in the Binomial nomenclatures of many domesticated plant species:* Garlic, garlic...
    , Tibaná
    Tibaná

    Tiban? is a town and municipality in the Colombia Departments of Colombia of Boyac? Department, part of the subregion of M?rquez Province....
     and others.
  • Territory of Sugamuxi: Bosbanza, Toca
    Toca

    Toca may refer to:*TOCA, an international consulting company*Toca, Boyac?, a municipio in Boyac? Department, Colombia.*TOCA Touring Car series, a series of driving video games...
    , Sogamoso
    Sogamoso

    Sogamoso is a town and municipio in Boyac? Department, Colombia, part of the Sugamuxi Province a subregion of Boyac?. It was originally called Suamox, meaning "City of the Sun" in the local Chibcha language....
     and others.
  • Autonomous chiefdoms: Guaneta, Charalá
    Charala

    Charala is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia....
    , Chipata
    Chipata

    Chipata, population 32,000, is the capital of the Eastern Province, Zambia of Zambia. Formerly known as Fort Jameson, the city is located near the border with Malawi, along the road connecting the capitals Lilongwe and Lusaka ....
    , Tinjacá
    Tinjacá

    Tinjac? is a town and municipio in Boyac? Department, Colombia, part of the subregion of the Ricaurte Province....
     and others.


The Muisca legislation was consuetudinary
Consuetudinary

Consuetudinary , customary, a term applied to law where the rule of law is determined by long-standing customs as opposed to case law or legislative processes leading to novel statutory law written law....
, it is to say, their rule of law was determined by long-extant customs with the approval of the Zipa or Zaque. This kind of legislation was suitable to a confederation system and it was actually a well-organized one in an admirable way of administration. The natural resources could not be privatized: woods, lakes, bleak plateaus, rivers and others were common good.

Economy

To an administrative organization as the one of the Muisca people belongs a solid economy that was considered one of the most powerful of the American Post-Classic stage
Post-Classic stage

The Post-Classic Stage is an archaeology term describing a particular developmental level. This stage is the fifth of five stages defined by Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips ' 1958 book Method and Theory in American Archaeology....
. When the Spaniards conquerors came into the territory of the Confederation, they found a rich state that stimulated their ambitions. The Muisca Confederation was mining the following products:
  • Emerald
    Emerald

    Emeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a Hardness of 7.5 - 8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness....
    s
    : Even today Colombia
    Colombia

    Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
     is the first producer of emeralds of the world. Those Colombian emeralds that go on to further international markets come from the ancient territory of the Muisca Confederation.
  • The mines of copper
    Copper

    Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
    .
  • Coal: Mineral and vegetal. Nowadays the coal mines still at their top level, for example that of Zipaquirá
    Zipaquirá

    Zipaquir? is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Tausa and Cogua to the north; Nemoc?n, Gachancip? and Sop? to the east; Cajic? and Tabio to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho to the west....
    . Again Colombia
    Colombia

    Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
     is one of the main coal reserves of the planet.
  • Salt
    Salt

    A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
    : The mines of Nemocón
    Nemocón

    Nemoc?n is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    , Zipaquirá
    Zipaquirá

    Zipaquir? is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Tausa and Cogua to the north; Nemoc?n, Gachancip? and Sop? to the east; Cajic? and Tabio to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho to the west....
     and Tausa
    Tausa

    Tausa is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
    .
  • Gold
    Gold

    Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
    : Gold was imported, but it was so abundant that it became one of the preferred material for the Muisca handicraft. The many handicraft works in gold and the Zipa tradition of offering gold to the Guatavita
    Guatavita

    Guatavita is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca.External links...
     goddess contributed to create the legend of El Dorado
    El Dorado

    El Dorado is a legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and would dive into a lake of pure mountain water....
    .


The market
Market

A market is any one of a variety of different systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby persons trade, and goods and services are exchanged, forming part of the economy....
 was a very meaningful place for the economy of the confederation due to barter
Barter

Barter is a type of trade in which product or Service are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services, without the use of Money. It can be bilateral or multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a very limited extent....
. In that place they used to exchange all they needed, from products of first necessity to luxury. The abundance of salt, emeralds and coal converted those minerals into a de facto currency. As an agrarian society they had a complete system of irrigation. Other economic activity was weaving. To this regard Paul Bahn said that "the Andean cultures mastered almost every method of textile weaving or decoration now known, and their products were often finer tha those of today".

Language


Chibchan, also known as muysca, mosca or muska kubun, belongs to the linguistic family of Paezan languages
Paezan languages

Paezan is a hypothetical language family of Colombia and Ecuador....
, or Macro-Chibcha that includes some regions of Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
 and the north of South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. The Tayrona Culture and the U'wa, related also to the Muisca Culture, could speak similar languages and it helped develop their market exchange. Many Chibcha words came into Colombian Spanish:

  • Geography: Names of localities and regions were kept. In many occasions the Spanish conquerors did city foundations naming it with a Chibcha and Spanish combination. Such is the case of Santafé de Bogotá". Most of the municipalities of the Boyacá
    Boyacá Department

    Boyac? is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia"....
     and Cundinamarca departments are Chibcha names: Bacatá that became "Bogotá
    Bogotá

    Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
    ", Sogamoso
    Sogamoso

    Sogamoso is a town and municipio in Boyac? Department, Colombia, part of the Sugamuxi Province a subregion of Boyac?. It was originally called Suamox, meaning "City of the Sun" in the local Chibcha language....
    , Zipaquirá
    Zipaquirá

    Zipaquir? is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Tausa and Cogua to the north; Nemoc?n, Gachancip? and Sop? to the east; Cajic? and Tabio to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho to the west....
     and many others.
  • Natural names: Fruits as curuba and uchuva.
  • Relations: The youngest child is called "Cuba", "china" for a girl, muysca is "people".


Culture

The Muisca people were an agrarian and ceramic society belonging to the Andes
Andes

The Andes form the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km long, 200-700 km wide , and of an average height of about 4,000 m ....
 of the north of South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. The political and administrative organization above described did of them a compact cultural unity with great discipline. The contribution of the Muisca Culture to the national Colombian identity is a fact and its study is necessary to understand Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
 today.

Sport

As all the peoples of any place and time, the Muisca Culture gave much importance to sport. To prove this fact there is a survival of the turmequé game tejo
Tejo (sport)

Tejo is a traditional sport in Colombia. It is played by throwing a metal plate or disc weighing about 2 kg at a target so as to make it strike the "mechas" in the middle of the target....
. It was also very important the tournament of wrestling
Amateur wrestling

Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles : Greco-Roman wrestling and Freestyle wrestling....
. The winner received from the chief a fine cotton blanket and was able to become güeche (warrior).

Religion

Muisca priests were educated from childhood and led the main religious ceremonies. No one else was allowed inside the temples. The religion originally included human sacrifice, but the practice may have been extinct by the time of the Spanish conquest, as there are no first-hand Spanish accounts from the time. Oral tradition suggests that every family offered a child to the priests, who was treated as sacred and cared for until the age of 15, then offered to Sue, the Sun-god. Besides the religious activities, the priests had much influence in the lives of the people, giving counsel in matters of farming or war.

Solar cult
Although they did not have a precise calendar, the Muisca people knew exactly the Solstice
Solstice

A solstice is an astronomical event that occurs twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth's Rotation is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun's apparent position in the sky to reach its north or south extreme....
 (June 21). It was then the Day of Sue, the Sun-god. The Sue temple was in Sogamoso
Sogamoso

Sogamoso is a town and municipio in Boyac? Department, Colombia, part of the Sugamuxi Province a subregion of Boyac?. It was originally called Suamox, meaning "City of the Sun" in the local Chibcha language....
, the sacred city of the Sun-god and the seat of the Iraca (priest). The name of the city, Suamox or Sugamuxi means "The City of the Sun". Then the Zaque came that day to the sacred city of Sue and it became a carnival for the nation. Offerings were made and it was the only day of the year that the people could see the face of the Zaque, who was considered a descendant of the Sun-god.

Mythology


The Muisca Mythology is well documented. It is due to some factors: the most important is that the Muisca territory became also the seat of the Colonial administration for the Nuevo Reino de Granada. Therefore, it allowed to have many of the Cronists of Western Indias in Bogotá
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
 and they got interests for the traditions and culture of the conquered people.

  • Xué or Sue (The Sun-god): He was the father of the Muisca Olympus. His temple was in Sogamoso
    Sogamoso

    Sogamoso is a town and municipio in Boyac? Department, Colombia, part of the Sugamuxi Province a subregion of Boyac?. It was originally called Suamox, meaning "City of the Sun" in the local Chibcha language....
    , the sacred city of the Sun. He was the most venerated god, especially by the Confederation of the Zaque, considered descendant of Sue.
  • Chía goddess (The Moon-goddess): Her temple was in what is today the municipality of Chía. She was widely adored by the Confederation of the Zipa, who was considered her son.
  • Bochica
    Bochica

    Bochica is a figure in the Muisca mythology of the Muisca culture, which existed during the arrival of the Spain conquistadores in areas comprising parts of present day Colombia and Panama....
    : This mysterious character was not properly a god, but he enjoyed the status of one. As many other mythological figures of other peoples, he could be a chief or hero eternized in the oral tradition. They said that the land was every time flood by Huitaca, a beautiful and mean woman or by Chibchacum, protector of the farmers. Then it came a rainbow and from it came out a white man, white bear and a gown. Bochica listened the complains of the Muisca people about the floods. The paternal Bochica, with his stick, broke two rocks at the edge of the Tequendama Falls
    Tequendama Falls

    The Tequendama Falls is a 132m high waterfall on the Bogot? River, located about 30 km southwest of Bogot? in the municipality of San Antonio del Tequendama....
     and all the water came out forming the Tequendama waterfall. Bochica punished Huitaca and Chibchacum. To Huitaca he made her an owl and put her to hold the sky. To Chibchacum he put him to hold the earth.
  • Bachué
    Bachué

    The goddess Bachu? , is a mother goddess that according with the muisca colombian mythology is the mother of the mankind. She emerged of the waters in the Lake Iguaque with a baby in her arms, who grew to become her husband and populate the earth....
    : The mother of the Muisca people. They said about Bachué that once a time it came out the Lake Iguaque
    Lake Iguaque

    Lake Iguaque is a lagoon located in the Boyac? Department department of Colombia....
     a beautiful woman with a baby. She, Bachué, sat down at the bank of the lagoon and waited to have her son grown. When he was older enough, they got married and had many children. They were the Muisca people. Bachué taught them to hunt, to farm, to respect the laws and to adore the gods. Bachué was so good and loved that the Muisca people referred to her as Furachoque (Good woman in Chibcha). When they became old, Bachué and her Son-Husband decided to go back to the deep of the lagoon. That day the Muisca people were so sad, but at the same time very happy because they knew their mother was very happy. Other versions of the legend say for example that after immersing into the lagoon of Iguaque, Bachué ascended to the sky and became Chía, while in other versions Chia and Bachué are two different persons.


El Dorado


In 2000 Bonne Radford produced a film (comics) with the title The Road to El Dorado
The Road to El Dorado

The Road to El Dorado is a 2000 in film animated comedy film by DreamWorks SKG. The soundtrack features songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, music team from The Lion King....
. In the film two young Spaniard adventurers take a trip to find out the City of God. The film gathered elements from the Aztec
Aztec

Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl and who achieved political and military dominance over large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the Late post-Classic period in Mesoamerican chronology....
, Maya and Inca
Inca

The Inca civilization began as a tribe in the Cuzco area, where the legendary first Sapa Inca, Manco Capac founded the Kingdom of Cuzco around 1200....
 cultures and even Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés

Hern?n Cort?s de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marqu?s del Valle de Oaxaca was a Spain conquistador who led an expedition that caused the conquest of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the Crown of Castile, in the early 16th century....
, the conqueror of México
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 has his part in the story. The film was good as a production, but it has no real connection with the origins of El Dorado legend. The origin of the legend must be located in the Muisca Confederation. The Zipa used to offer to the Guatavita
Guatavita

Guatavita is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca.External links...
 goddess gold and other treasures. To do so, the Zipa covered himself with gold. This tradition was well-known outside the Confederation, as far as the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the mid-latitudes of the Western Hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the Americas, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest....
 and the Spaniards were attracted by the fascinating stories of a city of gold that actually did not exist. Much of the times the aborigenes wanted to get rid of the ambitious Spaniards in that way, pointing out other peoples. The Guatavita lagoon was widely explored by the Conquerors looking for the old offerings of the Zipa to the goddess. From this came many other routes to the Gold City out of the Muisca context and the term became a reference to a mythical place that attracts people.

Architecture


The Muisca people did not make big stone structures. They did not use the abundant rock to leave monumental ruins as has happened with other American cultures. Their houses were built with simple materials as clay, canes and wood. The houses had a conical form most of them to the point that Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada

Gonzalo Jim?nez de Quesada, known as the "Knight of El Dorado" was a Spain explorer and conquistador in Colombia. While successful in many of his exploits, acquiring massive amounts of gold and emeralds, he ended his career disastrously; he has been suggested as a possible model for Cervantes' Don Quixote....
, founder of Bogotá
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
, gave it the name of Valles de los Alcázares. The constructions had small doors and windows and the houses of the high rank men were different. The Muisca people did not use a lot furniture as they used to sit down on the floor, for example similar to many Asian peoples today.

History of the Muisca people

Until 1450 events are said in a mythologic context, but it is thanks to the Cronists of the Western Indias that it is possible to know the last periods of the Muisca history before the Spaniard conqueros came.

Background

Excavations in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense
Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The Altiplano Cundiboyacense is a set of highlands located on the Cordillera Oriental, Colombia of the Colombian Andes between the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyac? Department....
 (the highlands of Cundinamarca and Boyacá
Boyacá Department

Boyac? is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia"....
 departments) show evidences of a great human activity in those territories since the Archaic stage that is the same at the beginning of the Holocene
Holocene

The Holocene is a geological Epoch which began approximately 11,700 years ago . According to traditional geological thinking, the Holocene continues to the present....
 era. It ended a theory that was stated during the 19th Century that the Altiplano Cundiboyacense was inhabited before the Muisca people arrived. Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
 has also one of the most ancient archaeological sites of America
Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
: El Abra
El Abra

El Abra is an Archaeological excavation site, located in the valley of the same name, east of the city of Zipaquir?, department Cundinamarca, Colombia; in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, at an altitude of 2,570 m....
, which age can be calculated to even 13 thousand years ago. Other archaeological traces in the region of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense have conducted the scholars to talk about an El Abra
El Abra

El Abra is an Archaeological excavation site, located in the valley of the same name, east of the city of Zipaquir?, department Cundinamarca, Colombia; in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, at an altitude of 2,570 m....
 Culture
: In Tibitó, tools and other litic artifacts dated since BC 9740; in the Bogotá
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
 Plain, especially the Tequendama Falls
Tequendama Falls

The Tequendama Falls is a 132m high waterfall on the Bogot? River, located about 30 km southwest of Bogot? in the municipality of San Antonio del Tequendama....
 other litic tools dated since a millennium later belonging to specialized hunters. Among other findings the most precious are entire human skeletons dated 5000 BC. The analysis demonstrated that those persons of the El Abra Culture were other etnia different to that of the Muisca people and for this reason it is possible to say that the Muisca tribes did not occupy an empty land.

Muisca era

Scholars agree that the huma group identify as "Muisca" migrated to the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in a time comprised between 5500 and 1000 BC, it means during the Formative stage
Formative stage

The Formative Stage is an archaeology term describing a particular developmental level. This stage is the third of five stages defined by Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips ' 1958 book Method and Theory in American Archaeology....
 due to numberless evidences in places like Aguazuque and Soacha
Soacha

Soacha is a city and municipality in Colombia on the southern edge of Bogot?, the country's capital. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working class families....
. Like the other Pre-Classic cultures of America, the Muiscas were in a transition among hunters and agrarians. Since 1500 BC came to the region groups of agrarians with ceramic traditions from the lowlands. They had permanent housing and stationary camps and worked the founts of salty water. In Zipacón
Zipacón

Zipac?n is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
 there are pleny of evidences of agriculture and ceramic of the most ancient settlement of the highlands dated to the 1270 BC. Among the years 500 BC and 800 BC a second wave of migrants came to the highlands, which presence is identified by multicolor ceramic and works of housing and farm. Those were the groups that lasted until the coming of the Spaniard Conquerors and they let abundant traces of their occupation that became object of studies since the 16th Century and allow to reconstruct their way of life. It is possible that the Muisca people integrated the ancient inhabitants, but it was the role of the Muisca people to mold the cultural profile and the social and political organization. Their language, the Chibcha, was very similar to those peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range apart from the Andes chain that runs through Colombia. Reaching an altitude of 5,700 metres above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is the world's highest coastal range....
 (Kogui, Ijka, Wiwa
WIWA

WIWA is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish language Christian radio format. Licensed to St. Cloud, Florida, USA, it serves the greater Orlando area....
 and Kankuamo) and the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy
Sierra Nevada del Cocuy

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is a National Park and a set of highlands within the Cordillera Oriental mountain range in the Andes Mountains of Colombia....
 (U'wa).

Wars
Zipa Saguamanchica was in a constant war against aggressive tribes of the surroundings like the sutagos, fusagasugaes and, especially, the panches that would make difficulties also for the successors Nemequene and Tisquesusa. The Carib
Carib

Carib, Island Carib or Kalinago people, after whom the Caribbean Sea was named, live in the Lesser Antilles islands. They are an Amerindian people whose origins lie in the southern West Indies and the northern coast of South America....
s were also a permanent threat and the rivalries with the Zaque of Hunza
Hunza

Hunza may refer to*Hunza Valley*Former Hunza *Hunza River*Hunza Peak*Hunza people*Hunza is the Muisca name of the city of Tunja, Colombia...
, especially for the possession of the salt mines, a precious resource for the Muisca economy.

The Spanish Conquest
The rivalries among the Zaque and the Zipa became a good opportunity for the Spaniards to conquer the heart of what would be Colombia. Some of them as Sebastián de Belalcázar
Sebastián de Belalcázar

Sebasti?n de Belalc?zar was a Spanish conquistador....
, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada

Gonzalo Jim?nez de Quesada, known as the "Knight of El Dorado" was a Spain explorer and conquistador in Colombia. While successful in many of his exploits, acquiring massive amounts of gold and emeralds, he ended his career disastrously; he has been suggested as a possible model for Cervantes' Don Quixote....
 and Nicolás de Federman, interested for the route to El Dorado
El Dorado

El Dorado is a legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and would dive into a lake of pure mountain water....
, discovered the rich plains of Cundinamarca and Boyacá
Boyacá Department

Boyac? is one of the 32 Departments of Colombia of Colombia, and the remnant of one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia"....
. The presence of the newcomers gave hope to both sovereigns that, were they to prevail in a war against the Spaniards, could make one Confederation. But the Spaniards prevailed.

The Spaniards killed the last Muisca sovereigns Sagipa and Aquiminzaque. The reaction of the chief leaders and the people did a little to change the destiny of the Confederations. In 1542 Gonzalo Suaréz Rendón finally put down the resistance and the territories of the Confederations were shared by Belalcazar, Federmann and Quesada. Later the Spaniard Crown would elect Quesada as the only man in charge with the title adelantado de los cabildos de Santa Fe y Tunja.

Last Muisca sovereigns
  • Zipas of Bacatá:
    • Meicuchuca (1450-1470)
    • Saguamanchica (1470-1490)
    • Nemequene (1490-1514)
    • Tisquesusa (1514-1537)
    • Sagipa (1537-1538)
  • Zaques of Hunza
    Hunza

    Hunza may refer to*Hunza Valley*Former Hunza *Hunza River*Hunza Peak*Hunza people*Hunza is the Muisca name of the city of Tunja, Colombia...
    :
    • Michuá (until 1490)
    • Quemuenchatocha (1490-1537)
    • Aquiminzaque (1537-1541)


Muisca under colonial regime

When the Muisca structure disappeared under the Spaniard Conquest, the territory of the Confederations of the Zaque and Zipa were included in a new political division within a big system: the Spaniard colonies in America. The territory of the Muisca people, located in a fertil plain of the Colombian Andes that contributed to make one of the most advance South American civilizations, was chosen by the Spaniards as a head to lead the new region they called "Nuevo Reino de Granada". This fact caused that the high class, the priests and nobility of the Muisca people were eliminated. Only the Capitanias remained. It made also possible that much information about the Muisca Culture were gathered by the new Spaniard administration. The best territories were for the Spaniards and they created the Indigenous Shelters to keep the survivors with the obligation to work the land for them in what they called encomienda
Encomienda

The encomienda system is a trusteeship labor system that was employed by the Spanish crown during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The etymology of encomienda and encomendero lies in the Spanish verb encomendar, "to entrust"......
s
. The Colonial era contributed to give importance to Santafé
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
, the ancient Bacatá, the one that would play an important role in the fights of th independence and the republic consolidation. The war of independence that gathered the common will of what would be three nations (Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
 with Panamá
Panama

Panama, officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on an isthmus connecting North and South America, some categorize it as a transcontinental nation....
, Venezuela
Venezuela

Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America.The country comprises a continental mainland and numerous islands located off the Venezuelan coastline in the Caribbean Sea....
 and Ecuador
Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west....
), was led by the Creoles, it is to say, by the descendants of the Conquerors. In such case the participation of aborigen, African and cross-breed people was as soldiers, no less important role as they were those who fight in the front against the skillful royal Spaniard army.

20th Century
After the independence in 1810 the new Creole state intended to dissolve the Indigenous Reservations keeping only one in Tocancipá
Tocancipá

Tocancip? is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca. The race track is located in the surroundings of the town, here they make vintage auto races as well as gt races....
. This one was dissolved in 1940 leaving only the one in Sesquilé
Sesquilé

Sesquil? is a town and municipality in Almeidas Province, in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. It is named after a member of the Chibcha tribe, who fought against the Spanish....
, which was reduced to 10% of its original size. Tenjo
Tenjo

Tenjo is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
 was reduced to 54 ha after 1934. The Reservation of Cota was re-established in a land bought by the community in 1916, and then recognized by the 1991 constitution; the recognition was withdrawn in 1998 by the state and restored back 2006.

In 1948 the state forbade the production of chicha
Chicha

Chicha is a term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermentation, particularly those derived from maize, but which also describes similar non-alcoholic beverage beverages....
, a maize based alcoholic drink. This was a blow to the culture and the economy of the Muisca as they lost a source of income which added to the lost of previous traditions and land. The ban remained until 1991. Since then, the "Festival of the chicha, maize, life and joy" is celebrated every year in Barrio La Perseverancia, where most of the Chicha is produced in Bogotá
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
.

21st Century
Since 1989 there is a process of reconstruction of the indigenous councils by the survivors of the Muisca Culture. Nowadays the Muisca Councils working are Suba
Suba

Suba may refer to:*Suba , a people of Kenya**Suba language*Suba , a people of Tanzania*Suba District, in Nyanza Province of Kenya*Suba , a locality of Bogot?...
, Bosa, Cota, Chía and Sesquilé
Sesquilé

Sesquil? is a town and municipality in Almeidas Province, in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. It is named after a member of the Chibcha tribe, who fought against the Spanish....
. The different councils had an Assembly between 20 and 22 of September, 2002 in Bosa in the First General Congress of the Muisca People. In that Congress they founded the Great Council of the Muisca People, affiliated to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia
National Indigenous Organization of Colombia

The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia is an organization representing the indigenous peoples of Colombia, who comprise some 800,000 people or approximately 2% of the population....
, ONIC. The proposed the linguistic and cultural recuperation, the defense of the territorioes nowadays occupied by others and treated by the urban and tourist plans. They support also the communities of Ubaté
Ubaté

Ubat? is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department, Colombia. Its name comes from the native name "Ebate" meaning "Bloodied Land"....
, Tocancipá
Tocancipá

Tocancip? is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca. The race track is located in the surroundings of the town, here they make vintage auto races as well as gt races....
, Soacha
Soacha

Soacha is a city and municipality in Colombia on the southern edge of Bogot?, the country's capital. It has an important industrial zone and is home to mostly working class families....
, Ráquira
Ráquira

R?quira is a municipality and town in Boyac? Department, Colombia, part of the subregion of the Ricaurte Province. It is famous in Colombia for its colony of artisans, who produce traditional northern Andean pottery & hand-woven goods....
 and Tenjo
Tenjo

Tenjo is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
 in order to recover their organization and human rights.

The Muisca people of Suba
Suba

Suba may refer to:*Suba , a people of Kenya**Suba language*Suba , a people of Tanzania*Suba District, in Nyanza Province of Kenya*Suba , a locality of Bogot?...
 opposed to the dry up of the Tibabuyes Laggon and they could recover the Humedal de Juan Amarillo. They defend the natural reserves like La Conejera Hill that is considered by the Shelter's Council as land of the community. The Suati Magazine (The Song of the Sun) is a publication of poetry, literature and researches about the Muisca Culture. The community of Bosa could get important achievements with its project of natural medicine in association with the Paul VI Hospital and the District Secretary of Health of Bogotá. The community of Cota reintroduced the growing of quinua
Quinua

Quinua can refer to* Quinoa , a species of goosefoot grown as an edible crop* Quinua, Peru, a small town in Huamanga Province...
 and it is doing regularly the market for barker their products.

Toward the end of 2006 it was the report on Muisca population:

  • 3 Muisca Councils: Cota, Chía and Sesquile
    Sesquilé

    Sesquil? is a town and municipality in Almeidas Province, in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. It is named after a member of the Chibcha tribe, who fought against the Spanish....
     with a population of 2,318 persons.
  • In the Capital District
    Bogotá

    Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
     are registered 5,186 persons belonging to the Musica ethnic group.
  • In the municipalities of Suba
    Suba

    Suba may refer to:*Suba , a people of Kenya**Suba language*Suba , a people of Tanzania*Suba District, in Nyanza Province of Kenya*Suba , a locality of Bogot?...
     and Bosa are registered 1,573 persons.
  • In this report is not included the number of persons of the Muisca etnia in the entire territory of the ancient Muisca confederations or outside that territory. It is not included the Muisca Creol persons, it is to say, those with Muisca ancestors.


Some politic perspectives pretend to say that the Muisca Culture and even etnia disappeared with the destruction of the political Muisca Confederation at the beginning of the 16th Century. Even some persons say that the Chibcha language is a dead language that disappeared totally at the end of the 18th Century. But those perspectives are not objective and it is a cultural denying. On the other hand, the Muisca Culture is alive, it is present in the cultural national identity of Colombia and it is alive in the many farmer groups that have survived the centuries after the destruction of their ancestral state.

Muisca research

The studies on the Muisca Culture are abundant and they have a long tradition. The first sources come from the Cronists of the Western Indias, whose work lasted for three centuries during the existence of the Colonial Nuevo Reino de Granada. After the independence wars in 1810 there was a surge in interest for the study of the Muisca Culture. White Colombians established the capital of their republic in Santafé
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
, the former Viceroyal city, which was at the same time the capital of the Confederation of the Zipa, Bacatá. The political interest was to state that the place was really the cradle of an advanced civilization whose process of consolidation was cut by the Spanish Conquest. This social phenomenon of search for an identity however resulted in giving more emphasis to the Muisca Culture and overlooking other native nations which were seen as wild people. They wrongly concluded that the Muisca Culture inhabited an empty land and everything known was attributed only to the Muisca people. President Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera

Tom?s Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda was a Colombian general and political figure. , he was president of Colombia three tenures. Nueva Granada between 1845 - 1849 and of United States of Colombia between 1861 - 1864 and between 1866-1867....
 invited in 1849 the Italian cartographer Agustín Codazzi, who led the Geography Commission with Manuel Ancízar and did descriptives studies of the national territory and an inventory of the archaeological sites. The result of the expedition was published in Bogotá in 1889 as Peregrinación Alfa (Alpha Travels). Argüello García pointed out that the goal of that expedition in the context of the new nation was to underline the Pre-Hispanic civilizations and in that sense they centered in the Muisca Culture as the main model. A similar tendency can be found in the works of Ezequiel Uricoechea
Ezequiel Uricoechea

Ezequiel Uricoechea was a Colombian linguist and scientist. He is considered one of the first Colombian scientists and a pioneer in Spanish-language linguistics....
 Memorias sobre las Antigüedades Neogranadinas (Memoirs of the Ancient Neogranadian Cultures). The objection to that point of view would come from Vicente Restrepo: If they wanted to see the Muisca people as a superior civilization, Restrepo in his work Los chibchas antes de la conquista española (The Chibcha people before the Spaniard Conquest) showed them as barbarians. However, Miguel Triana in his work La Civilización Chibcha (The Chibcha Civilization) suggested, for example, that the rock art's symbols were not other than writing. Wenceslao Cabrera Ortíz, who proposed more interests in the Muisca Culture and other Pre-Hispanic peoples in Colombia, was the one who concluded that the Muisca people were migrants to the Highlands. In 1969 he published Monumentos rupestres de Colombia (Colombian Rock-Art Monuments) and reports of Correal, Hurt and Van Der Hammen about excavations in El Abra. That publication opened a new era in the studies of the Pre-Hispanic cultures in Colombia according with Argüello.

Internet


Books

  • Alcaldía Mayor de Bogotá, Secretaría de Gobierno 2003: Los ancestrales habitantes de Bogotá. 16.500 años de historia (tr.en. The Ancestral Inhabitants of Bogotá).
  • Bahn, Paul: Archaeology, Theories, Methods and Practice, 2nd edition, printed by Thames and Hudson, London, 1991. ISBN 0-500-27867-9
  • Bonnett Vélez, Diana 1999: "El caso del altiplano Cundiboyacense: 1750-1800". La ofensiva hacia las tierras comunales indígenas" (tr.en. The Case of the Cundiboyacense Highland: 1750-1800. The challenge toward the communitarian Indian lands). Universitas Humanistica 48. Santafé de Bogotá; Universidad Javieriana.
  • Broadbent, Sylvia 1964: Los Chibchas: organización socio-política (tr.en The Chibcha People: Social and Politica Organization). Série Latinoamericana 5. Bogotá: Facultad de Sociología, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
  • Correal Urrego, Gonzalo 1990: "Evidencias culturales durante el Pleistoeno y Holoceno de Colombia" (tr.en Cultural Evidences of the Colombian Preistocen and Holocene); Revista de Arqueología Americana 1:69-89. Instituto Panamericano de Geografía e Historia, México.
  • Friede, Juan 1961: Los chibchas bajo la dominación española (tr.en. The Chibcha People under the Spaniard Rule). Bogotá: La Carreta.
  • García, Antonio; Edith Jiménez y Blanca Ochoa 1946: "Resguardo Indígena de Tocancipá" (Tocancipá Indian Shelter); Boletín de Arqueología 6 (1).
  • González de Pérez, María Stella 1987: Diccionario y Gramática Chibcha (Chibchan Dictionary and Grammar). Manuscrito anónimo de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Bogotá: Instituto Caro y Cuervo.
  • Enciclopedia de Colombia Oceano (tr.en Colombian Encyclopedia Ocean). Tomo 2. Barcelona, España 2002.
  • Enciclopedia de Colombia a su alcance Espase Siglo (Colombian Encyclopedia Espasa for you). Tomo 1 Bogotá, Colombia 2003.
  • Hernández Rodríguez Guillermo 1949: De los Chibchas a la Colonia y la República (tr.en. From the Chibcha People to the Colony to the Republic). Bogotá: Ediciones Paraninfo, 1991.
  • Historia de Colombia (tr.en. History of Colombia). Tomo 1 Zamora Editores, Bogotá, Colombia 2003.
  • Gran Enciclopedia de Colombia Tematica. Tomos 1 y 11 Círculo de Lectores, Bogotá, Colombia 1994
  • Fundación Misión Colombia: Historia de Bogota, Conquista y Colonia. Tomo 1 Salvat-Villegas editores, Bogotá, Colombia 1989.
  • Langebaek, Carl Henrik 1987: Mecados, poblamiento, e integración étnica entre los Muiscas. Bogotá: Banco de la República. ISBN 958-9028-40-3
  • Londoño, Eduardo 1998: Los muiscas: una reseña histórica con base en las primeras descripciones. Bogotá: Museo del Oro.
  • Llano Restrepo, María Clara y Marcela Campuzano 1994: La Chicha, una bebida fermentada a través de la historia. Bogotá: Instituto Colombiano de Antropología.
  • Lleras Pérez, Roberto 1990: "Diferentes oleadas de poblamiento en la prehistoria tardía de los Andes Orientales"; ponencia presentada en el simposio Los chibchas en América del II Congreso Mundial de Arqueología; Barquesimeto, Venezuela.
  • Martínez, Fernando Antonio 1977: "A propósito de algunas supervivencias chibchas del habla de Bogotá"; Thesaurus 32.
  • Posada, Francisco 1965: "El camino chibcha a la sociedadde clases". Tlatoani 6, suplemento. Mexico: Secretaria de Educación Publica. Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 1967.
  • Rozo Guauta, José 1978: Los Muiscas: organización social y régimen político. Bogotá: Fondo Editorial Suramérica.
  • Suescún Monroy, Armando 1987: La Economía Chibcha. Bogotá: Ediciones Tercer Mundo. ISBN958-601-137-2
  • Tovar Pinzón, Hermes 1980: La formación social chibcha. Bogotá. CIEC.
  • Wiesner García, Luis Eduardo 1987: "Supervivencia de las instituciones Muiscas: el Reguardo de Cota"; Maguaré 5: 235-259.


External links

  • , por El Museo del Oro
  • .


Heraldry

A pre-Columbian Muisca pattern appears in the coat of arms of Sopo
Sopó

Sop? is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Departments of Colombia of Cundinamarca....
, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.

See also

  • Chibchas