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For other uses, see Muska (disambiguation).
The Zipa used to cover his body in gold and, from his raft, he offered treasures to the Guatavita goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. This old Muisca tradition became the origin of El Dorado legend.
The Zipa used to cover his body in gold and, from his raft, he offered treasures to the Guatavita goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation This old Muisca tradition became the origin of El Dorado legend. El Dorado ( Spanish for "the golden one") is a Legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself
Muisca
Total population

2,318 persons registered in three reservations by 2006, probably there are more.

Regions with significant populations
Flag of Colombia Colombia
Languages
Chibchan
Religions
Traditional
Related ethnic groups
Chibchan group
Not to be confused with Chibcha. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by

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. Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by The Muisca comprised two confederations: the Hunza, whose sovereign was the Zaque and the Bacatá, whose sovereign was the Zipa. When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation Both confederations were located in the highlands of modern-day Cundinamarca and Boyacá (Altiplano Cundiboyacense) in the central area of Colombia's Eastern Range. The Altiplano Cundiboyacense is a set of highlands located on the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes between the departments of Cundinamarca Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America.

The territory of the Muisca spanned an area of 46,972 km² (a region slightly larger than Switzerland) from the North of Boyacá to the Sumapaz Páramo and from the summits of the Eastern Range to the Magdalena Valley. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Cordillera Oriental is one of three main mountain ranges that divides the Cordillera in the Andes Mountains of Colombia. 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 Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spain 's conquest settlement and rule over much of the Western hemisphere. The languages of the Muisca were Chibchan, Muysca and Mosca which belong to the Chibchan-Paezan linguistic family. Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by [1] The economy was based on agriculture, metalworking and manufacturing. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Metalworking is craft and practice of working with Metals to create individual parts assemblies or large scale structures Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, "making by hand" is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale

Contents

Political and administrative organization

Location of the Muisca Confederation territory in modern-Colombia.
Location of the Muisca Confederation territory in modern-Colombia. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America.

The Muisca people were organized in a Confederation that was the union of states, which kept their own sovereignty within the greater political body. A confederation is a group of empowered states or communities usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution The Confederation was not a kingdom, as there was no absolute monarch, nor was it an Empire because it did not dominate other ethnic groups or peoples. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or An empire (from the Latin " Imperium " denoting military Command within the ancient Roman government) is a State that 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 or Cazique (female form Cacica) from the Taíno word for the Pre-Columbian tribal chiefs or leaders, of the Taino 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). When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation Bogotá —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá 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, known today as Tunja. When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation Tunja ˈtuŋha is a city and municipality in Colombia, capital of the Boyacá department and part of the subregion of the Central Boyacá 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, Duitama and Sogamoso. Duitama (dwiˈtama is a city and municipality in the Boyacá department part of the Tundama Province a subregion of Boyaca Sogamoso is a town and municipality in Boyacá Department, Colombia, part of the the Sugamuxi Province a subregion of Boyacá The chiefdom was composed by localities. [2] 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. [3]

Confederation (Zipa or Zaque)
               --> Priests (Iraca)
                     --> Chiefdoms (Cacique)
                                  --> Capitanía (Capitan)
                                               --> Sybyn
                                                     --> Uta
  1. Bacatá District: Teusaquillo, Tenjo, Subachoque, Facatativá, Tabio, Cota, Chía, Usaquén, Engativá, Suba, Sopó, Usme and Zipacón. General information Area The total area of the locality is 14 Tenjo is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Subachoque is a Municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Facatativá is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department, located about 28 miles (42 km northwest of Bogotá, Colombia Tabio is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Cota is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Chía is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia, located to the north of Bogotá on the main road to Zipaquira General information Borders North: The municipality of Chía East: The municipality of La Calera South: The Engativá, which translates to Chieftain of Inga, was a Municipality of Cundinamarca, but became a locality of Bogotá, Colombia Sopo Archangels Sopó is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Usme is the 5th locality of the Capital District of Bogotá, capital city of Colombia. Zipacón is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.
  2. Fusagasugá District: Fusagasugá, Pasca and Tibacuy. Fusagasugá (or Fusa) is a town and municipality in the department of Cundinamarca, in central Colombia. Fusagasugá (or Fusa) is a town and municipality in the department of Cundinamarca, in central Colombia. Pasca is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia located over the Andes mountains. Tibacuy is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.
  3. Zipaquirá District: Nemocón, Susa, Lenguazaque, Ubaté, Simijaca and Chocontá. Zipaquirá is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca Nemocón is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Susa ( Biblical שושן ( Shushan) also Greek: Σοῦσα Transliterated as Sousa; Latin Susa) Lenguazaque is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Ubaté is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department, Colombia. Simijaca ( Pronounced /SIMIH'ækƏ/ from the extinct Chibchan language meaning owl's beak is a town and Municipality in the Cundinamarca Department Chocontá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.
  4. Gachetá Disctrict: Gachetá, Guatavita and Suesca. Guatavita is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Suesca is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.

The Muisca legislation was consuetudinary, it is to say, their rule of law was determined by long-extant customs with the approbal of the Zipa or Zaque. Consuetudinary (Med Lat consuetudinarius, from consuetudo: custom customary a term applied to Law where the rule of law is determined by long-standing 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. The Post-Classic Stage is an archaeological term describing a particular developmental level 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:

The market was a very meaninful place for the economy of the confederation due to barter. Sao Paulo Stock Exchangejpg|thumb| Virtual market arena where buyer and seller are not present and trade via intemediates and electronical information Barter is a type of Trade in which goods or services are directly exchanged 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". [5]

Language

Main article: Chibcha

The Chibchan, muysca, mosca or muska kubun belongs to the linguistic family of Chibchan-Paezano[6] or Macro-Chibcha that includes some regions of Central America and the north of South America. Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The Tayrona Culture and the U'wa, related also to the Muisca Culture, could speak similar languages and it helped to develop their market exchange. Tairona is a group of Chiefdoms in the region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in present-day Cesar, Magdalena and La Guajira The U'wa people are an indigenous people living in the Cloud forests of northeastern Colombia. Many Chibcha words came into the Colombian Spanish:

Culture

Ruins of an ancient Muysca temple in the Villa de Leyva skirts, place "El Infiernito" (The Little hell)
Ruins of an ancient Muysca temple in the Villa de Leyva skirts, place "El Infiernito" (The Little hell)

The Muisca people were an agrarian and ceramic society belonging to the Andes of the north of South America. Villa de Leyva (sometimes spelled Villa de Leiva) is a colonial town and municipality in the Boyacá department part of the the subregion of the Ricaurte 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. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a 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 today. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America.

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 is a traditional sport in Colombia. This sport consists of throwing It was also very important the tournament of (Amateur wrestling|wrestling). The winner received from the chief a fine cotton blanket and was able to become (Güeches|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 (June 21). Solstices occur twice a year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. It was then the Day of Sue, the Sun-god. The Sue temple was in Sogamoso, the sacred city of the Sun-god and the seat of the Iraca (priest). Sogamoso is a town and municipality in Boyacá Department, Colombia, part of the the Sugamuxi Province a subregion of Boyacá 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. When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation 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

Main article: Muisca mythology

The Muisca Mythology is well documented. Muisca mythology refers to the Precolumbian beliefs of the Muisca culture about the origin and organization of the universe 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. The New Kingdom of Granada (Nuevo Reino de Granada was the name given to a group of 16th century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed Therefore, it allowed to have many of the Cronists of Western Indias in Bogotá and they got interests for the traditions and culture of the conquered people. Bogotá —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá

El Dorado

Main article: El Dorado

In 2000 Bonne Radford produced a film (comics) with the title The Road to El Dorado. El Dorado ( Spanish for "the golden one") is a Legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself The Road to El Dorado is a 2000 animated comedy film by DreamWorks SKG. In the film two young Spaniard adventurers take a trip to find out the City of God. The film gathered elements from the Aztec, Maya and Inca cultures and even Hernán Cortés, the conqueror of México has his part in the story. Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro 1st Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca ( 1485&ndash December 2, Mexico State or State of Mexico (often abbreviated to " Edomex " from Estado de México in Spanish) is a state in the 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 goddess gold and other treasures. When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation Guatavita is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. To do so, the Zipa covered himself with gold. This tradition was well-known outside the Confederation, as far as the Caribbean Sea and the Spaniards were attracted by the fascinating stories of a city of gold that actually did not exist. For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere 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

Model of ancient Muisca houses in the Archaeology Museum of Sogamoso.
Model of ancient Muisca houses in the Archaeology Museum of Sogamoso. Sogamoso is a town and municipality in Boyacá Department, Colombia, part of the the Sugamuxi Province a subregion of Boyacá

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, founder of Bogotá, gave it the name of Valles de los Alcázares. Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1509&ndash1579 was a Spanish explorer and Conquistador in Colombia. Bogotá —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá 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 (the highlands of Cundinamarca and Boyacá 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 era. The Altiplano Cundiboyacense is a set of highlands located on the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes between the departments of Cundinamarca In the sequence of North American Pre-Columbian cultural stages first proposed by Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips in 1958 the Archaic period The Holocene is a Geological epoch which began approximately 10000 years ago (about 8000 BC It ended a theory that was stated during the 19th Century that the Altiplano Cundiboyacense was inhabited before the Muisca people arrived. Colombia has also one of the most ancient archaeological sites of America: El Abra, which age can be calculated to even 13 thousand years ago. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America El Abra is an Archaeological excavation site located in the same name valley east to the city of Zipaquirá, department Cundinamarca Other archaeological traces in the region of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense have conducted the scholars to talk about an El Abra Culture: In Tibitó, tools and other litic artifacts dated since BC 9740; in the Bogotá Plain, especially the Tequendama Falls other litic tools dated since a millennium later belonging to specialized hunters. El Abra is an Archaeological excavation site located in the same name valley east to the city of Zipaquirá, department Cundinamarca Bogotá —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá The Tequendama Falls (Salto del Tequendama is a 132m high waterfall on the Bogotá River, located about 30 km southwest of Bogotá in the municipality of 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 due to numberless evidences in places like Aguazuque and Soacha. The Formative Stage is an archaeological term describing a particular developmental level Soacha is a city and Municipality in Colombia on the southern edge of Bogotá, the country's capital 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 there are pleny of evidences of agriculture and ceramic of the most ancient settlement of the highlands dated to the 1270 BC. Zipacón is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. 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 (Kogui, Ijka, Wiwa and Kankuamo) and the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy (U'wa). Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range apart from the Andes chain that runs through Colombia. The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy (or Sierra Nevada de Chita or Sierra Nevada de Güicán) is a National Park and a set of highlands within the Cordillera The U'wa people are an indigenous people living in the Cloud forests of northeastern Colombia.

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. When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation The Caribs were also a permanent threat and the rivalries with the Zaque of Hunza, especially for the possession of the salt mines, a precious for the Muisca economy. Cariban languages Carib, Island Carib or Kalinago people after whom the Caribbean Sea was named live in the Lesser Antilles islands When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation

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. When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation Some of them as Sebastián de Belalcázar, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and Nicolás de Federmann, interested for the route to El Dorado, discovered the rich plains of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. Sebastián de Belalcázar (1479 or 1480 to 1551 was a Spanish Conquistador. Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1509&ndash1579 was a Spanish explorer and Conquistador in Colombia. El Dorado ( Spanish for "the golden one") is a Legend that began with the story of a South American tribal chief who covered himself 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

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". The New Kingdom of Granada (Nuevo Reino de Granada was the name given to a group of 16th century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed 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 encomiendas. The encomienda system is a Trusteeship labor system that was employed by the Spanish crown during the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the The Colonial era contributed to give importance to Santafé, the ancient Bacatá, the one that would play an important role in the fights of th independence and the republic consolidation. Bogotá —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá The war of independence that gathered the common will of what would be three nations (Colombia with Panamá, Venezuela and Ecuador), was leaded by the Creoles, it is to say, by the descendants of the Conquerors. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Ecuador topics. 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 is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. This one was dissolved in 1940[7] leaving only the one in Sesquilé, which was reduced to 10% of its original size. Sesquilé is a town and municipality in Almeidas Province in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. Tenjo was reduced to 54 ha after 1934. Tenjo is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. 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. Cota is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.

In 1948 the state forbade the production of chicha, a maize based alcoholic drink. Chicha is a term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermented beverages, particularly those derived from Maize, but which also [8] 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 —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá

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, Bosa, Cota, Chía and Sesquilé. Bosa is a town in the Province of Oristano (until May 2005 it was in the Province of Nuoro) part of the Sardinia region of Italy. Cota is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Chía is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia, located to the north of Bogotá on the main road to Zipaquira Sesquilé is a town and municipality in Almeidas Province in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. The different councils had an Assembly between 20 and 22 of September, 2002 in Bosa in the First General Congress of the Muisca People. Bosa is a town in the Province of Oristano (until May 2005 it was in the Province of Nuoro) part of the Sardinia region of Italy. In that Congress they founded the Great Council of the Muisca People, affiliated to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, ONIC. The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia ( Spanish: Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia or ONIC) is an organization representing the [9] 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, Tocancipá, Soacha, Ráquira and Tenjo in order to recover their organization and human rights. Ubaté is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca Department, Colombia. Tocancipá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Soacha is a city and Municipality in Colombia on the southern edge of Bogotá, the country's capital Ráquira is a municipality and town in Boyacá Department, Colombia, part of the the subregion of the Ricaurte Province. Tenjo is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.

The Muisca people of Suba 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. Bosa is a town in the Province of Oristano (until May 2005 it was in the Province of Nuoro) part of the Sardinia region of Italy. The community of Cota reintroduced the growing of quinua and it is doing regularly the market for barker their products. Cota is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca.

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

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. Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by 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. The New Kingdom of Granada (Nuevo Reino de Granada was the name given to a group of 16th century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed 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, the former Viceroyal city, which was at the same time the capital of the Confederation of the Zipa, Bacatá. Bogotá —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombia highlands the region was organized into the '''Muisca''' Confederation 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. [10] 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 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. Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda (1798 - 1878 was a Colombian General and Political figure. Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi (1793-1859 (alternatively known in Latin America as Agustín Codazzi) was an Italian military scientist geographer and cartographer The result of the expedition was published in Bogotá in 1889 as Peregrinación Alfa (Alpha Travels). [11] 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 Memorias sobre las Antigüedades Neogranadinas (Memoirs of the Ancient Neogranadian Cultures). Ezequiel Uricoechea ( Bogotá, 10 April 1834 &ndash Beirut, 1880) was a Colombian linguist and scientist [12] 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)[13] showed them as barbarians. However, Miguel Triana in his work La Civilización Chibcha (The Chibcha Civilization)[14] 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)[15] 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. [16]

References

Internet

  1. ^ Familia lingüística Chibchano-Paezano, in Promotora española de lingüística.
  2. ^ El lugar de la religión en la organización social muisca (tr. en The place of religion in the Muisca social organization), Londoño, E. , Museo del Oro. En Biblioteca Luís Ángel Arango.
  3. ^ Londoño E. , op. cit.
  4. ^ Ministerio de Minas y Energia, Proexport Colombia.
  5. ^ P. Bahn, Archaeology, p. 317
  6. ^ Familia lingüística Chibchano-Paezano, op. cit.
  7. ^ Decree of August 14, 1940, Republic of Colombia. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
  8. ^ Law 34 of 1948, Republic of Colombia.
  9. ^ Abbreviation in Spanish: "Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia"
  10. ^ ARGUELLO G. , Pedro María. Historia de la investigación del arte rupestre en Colombia (tr. en. History of the Investigation of the Rock Art in Colombia) In Rupestreweb.
  11. ^ ANCÍZAR, Manuel, Peregrinación Alfa, Bogotá, 1889: Comisión Coreográfica Agustín Codazzi.
  12. ^ URICOECHEA, Ezequiel, Memorias sobre las Antigüedades Neogranadinas, Berlín, 1854.
  13. ^ RESTREPO, Vicente, Los chibchas antes de la conquista española, 1895.
  14. ^ TRIANA, Miguel, La Civilización Chibcha, 1924.
  15. ^ En "Cuaderno primero: Generalidades, Algunos conjuntos pictóricos de Cundinamarca".
  16. ^ o. p. Argüello.

Books

External links

Heraldry

A pre-Columbian Muisca pattern appears in the coat of arms of Sopo, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Sopo Archangels Sopó is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. [1]

See also

Chibcha, also known as Muisca or Mosca, is "officially" an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by
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