Muisca Confederation

For other uses of "Muisca", see Muisca (disambiguation).

Muisca Confederation
~1450–1540
Muisca Confederation Zaque rule in yellow Zipa rule in green Independent territories in red
Capital		Hunza & Bacatá (~1450–1540)
Languages		Muysccubun
Religion		Muisca religion
Political structure		Confederation
zaque & zipa
•	~1450-1470	zaque Hunzahúa zipa Meicuchuca
•	1470–1490	zaque Saguamanchica zipa Michuá
•	1490–1537 1490–1514	zaque Quemuenchatocha zipa Nemequene
•	1514–1537	zipa Tisquesusa
•	1537-1540 1537-1539	zaque Aquiminzaque zipa Sagipa
Historical era		Pre-Columbian
•	Established	~1450
•	Spanish conquest led by De Quesada	5 April 1536
•	Battle of Tocarema	20 August 1537
•	Decapitation of Aquiminzaque	1540
Area
Population
•	est.	2,000,000
Density
Preceded by Succeeded by [[Herrera Period]] [[New Kingdom of Granada]]
Today part of		Colombia

Boyacá, roughly the reign of the zaque

Cundinamarca, roughly the reign of the zipa

The Muisca Confederation was a rather loose confederation of different Muisca rulers (zaques, zipas, iraca and tundama) in the central Andean highlands of present-day Colombia before the Spanish conquest of northern South America. The area comprised the current departments of Boyacá, Cundinamarca and parts of Santander with a total surface area of almost 47,000 km² and a population between 300,000 and two million people.

According to some Muisca scholars the Muisca Confederation was one of the best-organized confederations of tribes on the South American continent. Modern anthropologists, such as Jorge Gamboa Mendoza, attribute the present-day knowledge about the confederation and its organization more to a reflection by Spanish chroniclers who predominantly wrote about it a century or more after the Muisca were conquered and proposed the idea of a loose collection of different people with slightly different languages and backgrounds.

Muisca Confederation

The Muisca Confederation existed for approximately ninety years of two main ruling states which were in constant conflict with each other; the zacazgo in the north and the zipazgo in the south. Underneath the zipas and zaques the caciques were the main ruling parties. The two factions fought various battles of which the Battle of Chocontá was one of the first described by Western scholars.

The Muisca had a rich culture and economy due to the natural resources which they mined; gold and emeralds were their main trading precious minerals.

Current municipalities part of the Muisca Confederation

As per the map located on the right and this map, the Muisca Confederation was divided into the zacazgo ruled from Hunza, the zipazgo based in Bacatá, known today as Bogotá, the current capital of Colombia and the cacicazgos of Sugamuxi and Tundama. The present-day name of the capitals is shown in parenthesis, the territories ordered from north to south

Tundama - capital Tundama

• Tundama (Duitama)
  • Cerinza
  • Onzaga
  • Chitagoto
  • Sativanorte
  • Sativasur
  • Soatá
  • Susacón

Iraca - capital Sugamuxi

• Sugamuxi (Sogamoso)
  • Busbanzá
  • Firavitoba
  • Gámeza
  • Iza
  • Mongua
  • Pesca
  • Toca
  • Tota

Zaque - capital Hunza

• Hunza (Tunja)
  • Lenguazaque
  • Paipa
  • Machetá
  • Ramiriquí
  • Socha
  • Somondoco
  • Tenza
  • Tibiritá
  • Turmequé

Zipa - capital Bacatá

• Bacatá (Bogotá)
  • Bosa
  • Cajicá
  • Chía
  • Chipaque
  • Facatativá
  • Fosca
  • Fusagasugá
  • Guatavita
  • Pasca
  • Santafé
  • Suesca
  • Susa
  • Tibacuy
  • Ubaque
  • Ubaté
  • Usme
  • Zipacón
  • Zipaquirá

Independent caciques

• Guachetá
• Moniquirá
• Sáchica
• Tutazá
• Vélez

Neighbouring indigenous groups

The neighbouring indigenous groups of the Muisca Confederation were clock-wise:

• Guanes
• Laches (not shown on map)
• Tunebos
• Achaguas
• Teguas
• Guayupes
• Sutagaos
• Panches
• Muzos

Sacred sites

Lake Guatavita; site of El Dorado
Lake Iguaque	Tequendama Falls
El Infiernito; astronomical site

The sacred sites of the Muisca Confederation were based in the Muisca religion and mythology. The Muisca were a highly religious people with their own beliefs on the origin of the Earth and life and human sacrifices were no exception to please the gods for good harvests and prosperity.

Lake Guatavita, Guatavita, was the location where the new zipa would be inaugurated. It became known with the Spanish conquerors as the site of El Dorado where the new zipa was covered in gold dust and installed as the new ruler of the southern Muisca.

In the legends of the Muisca, mankind originated in Lake Iguaque, Monquirá, when the goddess Bachué came out from the lake with a boy in her arms. When the boy grew, they populated the Earth. They are considered the ancestors of the human race. Finally, they disappeared unto the lake in the shape of snakes.

According to Muisca myths, the Tequendama Falls, outside Soacha, was the site where the first zipa Meicuchuca lost his beautiful lover who turned in a snake and disappeared in the waters of the Bogotá River.

El Infiernito, close to the present town of Villa de Leyva was a sacred site where the Muisca erected structures based on astronomical parameters.

Other sacred sites

• Sun Temple, Sogamoso
• Hunzahúa Well, Tunja
• Goranchacha Temple, Ramiriquí
• Cojines del Zaque, Tunja
• Moon Temple, Chía

See also

• Muisca people
• Muisca rulers
• History of Colombia