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
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. In fact the Muisca comprised two confederations: that of Hunza, whose sovereign was the Zaque and that of Bacat�, whose sovereign was the Zipa. Both confederations were located in the Highlands of modern-day Cundinamarca and Boyac� (Altiplano Cundiboyacense) of the central area of the Andinian Easter Colombian Range. It occupied an area of 46.972 km� (slightly larger than Switzerland with 41.285 km�) from the North of Boyac� to the Sumapaz P�ramo and from the summits of the Easter Range to its skirts to the Magdalena Valley bordering the territories of the Panches and Pijaos tribes. It had a large population at the time of the Spanish Conquest, but nobody know the actual number of inhabitants. The influence of the Chibcha Culture extended to regions as far as Central America. The language of the Muisca is the Chibchan, Muysca or Mosca to the Chibchan-Paezan linguistic family.[1] They farmed maize, potato, quinoa and cotton, among others. Skilled in goldsmiths, bartered emeralds, blankets, ceramic handicrafts, coca and salt they had an active trade with neighbouring nations.
Political and administrative organization
The Muisca people were organized in a Confederation that was the union of states, which kept their own sovereignty within the greater political body. In this case it is not exact to say the Confederation was either a kingdom, as there was no absolute monarch, nor was it an Empire 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 importance of the Muisca Confederation is that it was the biggest and best organized confederation of tribes on the continent.
Every tribe was ruled by its chief or cacique. The tribe had its autonomy and it was a cell of the confederation. The bulk of the tribes belonged to the same Muisca ethnia, 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 g�eches, 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 Bacat� (today Bogot�). 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 asTunja. Although both confederations had common political relations and affinities and belonged to the same nation, there were stitll rivalries between them. Among the confederations there were four chiefdoms: Bacat�, Hunza, Duitama and Sogamoso. The chiefdom was composed by localities.[2] The tribes were divided in Capitan�as (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)
--> Capitan�a (Capitan)
--> Sybyn
--> Uta
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. 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:
* Emeralds: Even today Colombia 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.
* Coal: Mineral and vegetal. Nowadays the coal mines still at their top level, for example that of Zipaquir�. Again Colombia is one of the main coal reserves of the planet.[4]
* Salt: The mines of Nemoc�n, Zipaquir� and Tausa.
* Gold: 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 goddess contributed to create the legend of El Dorado.
The market was a very meaninful place for the economy of the confederation due to barter. 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]
Chibcha language
Muisca or Mosca, is officially an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by the Muisca people. Actually the name of the Chibcha language is "muysca kubun". The word "Chibcha" comes from "Chib" (staff) and "Cha" (man), meaning the "Chief of the Community". Chibchacum, for example, was the god of the agriculture and he was punished by Bochica to hold the earth on his shoulders.
Religion
The priests were educated since their childhood and were responsible to lead the main religious ceremonies. No other than the priests could come inside the temples. The Muisca religion contemplated the human sacrifices, but it is possible that at the time of the Spaniards conquerors those ceremonies were already extinct since there are not real Spaniard witnesses at the time of such practices. The stories of human sacrifices came through oral tradition from the same Muisca people of the time. They said things like every family had to offer a child to the priests. They care for him until 15 years old, growing him as a sacred person and then offered to Sue, the Sun-god. The fact was an honor for the family and the same victim. Besides the religious activities, the priests were also personalities with much influence in the life of the people, giving council in matters as the farm and wars.
Solar cult
Although they did not have a precise calendar, the Muisca people knew exactly the Solstice (June 21). 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). 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 Bogot� and they got interests for the traditions and culture of the conquered people.
* Xu� or Sue (The Sun-god): He was the father of the Muisca Olympus. His temple was in Sogamoso, the sacred city of the Sun. He was the most venerated god, especially by the Confederation of the Zaque, considered descendentant of Sue.
* Ch�a (The Moon-goddess): Her temple was in what is today the municipality of Ch�a. She was widely adored by the Confederation of the Zipa, who was considered her son.
* Bochica: 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 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.
* Bachu�: The mother of the Muisca people. They said about Bachu� that once a time it came out the Iguaque lagoon a beautiful woman with a baby. She, Bachu�, 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. Bachu� taught them to hunt, to farm, to respect the laws and to adore the gods. Bachu� was so good and loved that the Muisca people referred to her as Furachoque (Good woman in Chibcha). When they became old, Bachu� 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, Bachu� ascended to the sky and became Ch�a, while in other versions Chia and Bachu� are two different persons.
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 Boyac� 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. 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. Other archaeological traces in the region of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense have conducted the scholars to talk about an El Abra Culture: In Tibit�, tools and other litic artifacts dated since BC 9740; in the Bogot� Plain, especially the Tequendama Falls 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 coincide that the huma group identify as "Muisca" migrated to the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in a time comprised between 5500 BC and BC 1000, it means during the Formative stage due to numberless evidences in places like Aguazuque and Soacha. Like the other Pre-Classic cultures of America, the Muiscas were in a transition among hunters and agrarians. Since BC 1500 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 Zipac�n there are pleny of evidences of agriculture and ceramic of the most ancient settlement of the highlands dated to the BC 1270. Among the years BC 500 and BC 800 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).
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 Caribbeans 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.
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 Sebasti�n de Belalc�zar, Gonzalo Jim�nez de Quesada and Nicol�s de Federmann, interested for the route to El Dorado, discovered the rich plains of Cundinamarca and Boyac�. 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 Suar�z Rend�n 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.
