Muisca Confederations (political units)

Muisca Confederations were loose confederations of different Muisca chiefdoms in the Eastern Andean highlands of what is today Colombia before the Spanish conquest of northern South America. These unions, centred around main chiefdoms recognised by smaller ones, were not a single, even loose, muisca confederation of chiefdoms, but multiple, independent regional entities. The area, presently called Altiplano Cundiboyacense, comprised the current departments of Boyacá, Cundinamarca and minor parts of Santander.
Usually, Muisca chiefdoms were composed of various basic matrilineal units called capitanías by the Spaniards. However, power was based on individual alliances of Muisca rulers with households or basic units. Often, sibyn were villages and uta groups of houses. Four confederations of chiefdoms formed in Muisca territory: Bogotá, Tunja, Duitama and Sogamoso. Additionally, the Chibcha-speaking Guane and Lache were also ruled by the confederation of Guanentá and the confederation of El Cocuy respectively. Different models exist to explain the nature of power among Muisca elites.

Geography

Climate

Muisca Confederations

The Muiscas lived in the Andes Orientales in a territory of approximately 22.000. At the time of the Spanish Conquest, four confederations existed in their territory. According to colonial documents, the confederations of Sogamoso and Duitama were independent of Tunja and had great importance. Political power was not based on economic or political subordination but recognition of certain authorities, sometimes multiple at a time. The size of muisca population remains debated. The most powerful chiefdom at the time of the Spanish conquest was Bogotá. Additionally, there were independant chiefdoms in the north-west, not affilitiated to any confederation.
Muisca settlements were organised around the cacique's enclosure or cercado. Roads were present to connect the settlements with each other and with the surrounding indigenous groups, of which the Guane and Lache to the north, the Panche and Muzo to the west and Guayupe, Achagua and Tegua to the east were the most important.

History

Prehistory

Early Amerindian settlers led a hunter-gatherer life among still extant megafauna living in cool habitats around Pleistocene lakes, of which the humedales in Bogotá, Lake Suesca, Lake Fúquene and Lake Herrera are notable examples. Multiple evidences of late Pleistocene to middle Holocene population of the Bogotá savanna, the high plateau in the Colombian Andes, have been found to date. As is common with caves and rock shelters, Tequendama was inhabited from around 11,000 years BP, and continuing into the prehistorical, Herrera and Muisca periods, making it the oldest site of Colombia, together with El Abra, located north of Zipaquirá and Tibitó, located within the boundaries of Tocancipá. The oldest human remains and the oldest complete skeleton were discovered at Tequendama and has been named "Hombre del Tequendama" or Homo Tequendama. Other artefacts have been found in Gachalá, Sueva and Zipacón. Just west of the Altiplano, the oldest archaeological remains were found; in Pubenza, part of Tocaima and have been dated at 16,000 years Before Present.

Pre-Columbian era

Herrera Period

The Herrera Period is a historical period named after the La Herrera lake, south of Bogotá, it took place approximately between 800 BCE to 800 AD. However, current academic consensus considers the period to have ranged from 400 B.C. to 1000 A.D., with regional variations. The muisca arrival to the Altiplano Cundibyacense most likely pre-dated the beginning of the Herrera period. However, the exact date of their arrival is unknown, and the least oldest date would be the middle of the first millennium B.C.
Generally, the Herrera period is characterized by agriculture, ceramic traditions and the use of salt sources. The political organisation and level of social complexity during the Herrera period is uncertain.

Muisca

The period named "Muisca" is separated by scholars into "early muisca" and "late muisca". This period is associated with the rise of muisca chiefdoms. Through the construction of monolithic structures, elites acquired an ideological more than a direct economic control. The reasons for the expansion of chiefdoms are uncertain. According to Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, the north-western, independant chiefdoms are representative of the state of Muisca society prior to the creation of confederations. Possibly, matrimonial alliances, conducted independently of the "territory" assigned to each chiefdom, played an important role. Two traditions of chroniclers reported different versions of Bogotá expansion: According to Juan Rodríguez Freyle, Bogotá's expansion began just one year before the Spanish conquest, after having revolted against the previously dominant chiefdom of Guatavita. On the other hand, Lucas Fernández de Piedrahíta related Bogotá's expansion in the course of 67 years, as the result of various military campaigns led by different chiefs. According to Martha Herrera Angel, the colonial-era writings, while filled with exaggerations and misunderstandings, contain a core of historical truth.
The concept of gue was essential for muisca chiefs to secure their legitimacy, which was based on rules of succession and a certain degree of popular consent. Their role was to redistribute an accumulated surplus of goods, not to accumulate them. The existence of religious specialists can be explained by the need to maintain the equilibrium of the world.
The people used a decimal counting system, based on the digits of the hand. Their system went from 1 to 10 and for higher numerations they used the prefix quihicha or qhicha, which means "foot" in their Chibcha language Muysccubun. Eleven became thus "foot one", twelve "foot two", etc. As in the other pre-Columbian civilizations, the number 20 was special. It was the total number of all body extremities; fingers and toes. The Muisca used two forms to express twenty: "foot ten"; quihícha ubchihica or their exclusive word gueta, derived from gue, which means "house". Numbers between 20 and 30 were counted gueta asaqui ata, gueta asaqui ubchihica. Larger numbers were counted as multiples of twenty; gue-bosa, gue-hisca. The Muisca script consisted of hieroglyphs, only used for numerals. Gold was not the main object of prestige, but had religious significance, as chiefs preferred exotic clothing and sumptuous palisades to show their power. There was no currency among the Muiscas.

Territorial organization

Bacatá

Capital – Bacatá
Area –
Average elevation –
Last rulers – zipas Tisquesusa, Sagipa
Date of conquest – 20 April 1537 – Jiménez & Pérez de Quesada
First city – 6 August 1538 – Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada

Municipality	Department bold is capital	Ruler bold is seat	Altitude urban centre	Surface area	Remarks	Map
Bacatá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2640	1587	Muisca mummy found Important market town Petrographs found
Bojacá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2598	109	Lake Herrera Petrographs found
Cajicá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2558	50.4
La Calera	Cundinamarca	zipa	2718	317	Petrographs found
Cáqueza	Cundinamarca	zipa	1746	38
Chía	Cundinamarca	zipa	2564	80	Moon Temple Herrera site Petrographs found
Choachí	Cundinamarca	zipa	1923	223	Choachí Stone found
Chocontá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2655	301.1	Important market town Battle of Chocontá Fortification between zipa & zaque
Cogua	Cundinamarca	zipa	2600	113	Muisca ceramics production Petrographs found
Cota	Cundinamarca	zipa	2566	55	Petrographs found Still Muisca people living
Cucunubá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2590	112	Petrographs found
Facatativá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2586	158	Piedras del Tunjo
Funza	Cundinamarca	zipa	2548	70	Important market town
Gachancipá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2568	44	Muisca mummy found Muisca ceramics production
Guasca	Cundinamarca	zipa	2710	346	Siecha Lakes Muisca ceramics production Petrographs found
Madrid	Cundinamarca	zipa	2554	120.5	Lake Herrera Petrographs found
Mosquera	Cundinamarca	zipa	2516	107	Lake Herrera Petrographs found
Nemocón	Cundinamarca	zipa	2585	98.1	Muisca salt mines Preceramic site Checua Petrographs found
Pacho	Cundinamarca	zipa	2136	403.3	Important market town
Pasca	Cundinamarca	zipa	2180	246.24	Battle of Pasca Muisca raft found
El Rosal	Cundinamarca	zipa	2685	86.48
San Antonio del Tequendama	Cundinamarca	zipa	1540	82	Tequendama Falls Fortification against Panche Petrographs found
Sesquilé	Cundinamarca	zipa	2595	141	Lake Guatavita Minor Muisca salt mines
Sibaté	Cundinamarca	zipa	2700	125.6	Petrographs found
Soacha	Cundinamarca	zipa	2565	184.45	Preceramic site Tequendama Herrera site Muisca ceramics production Petrographs found
Sopó	Cundinamarca	zipa	2650	111.5	Herrera site
Subachoque	Cundinamarca	zipa	2663	211.53	Petrographs found
Suesca	Cundinamarca	zipa	2584	177	150 Muisca mummies found Lake Suesca Muisca ceramics production Important market town Petrographs found
Sutatausa	Cundinamarca	zipa	2550	67	Petrographs found
Tabio	Cundinamarca	zipa	2569	74.5	Hot springs used by the Muisca
Tausa	Cundinamarca	zipa	2931	204	Muisca salt mines Petrographs found
Tena	Cundinamarca	zipa	1384	55	Fortification against Panche Petrographs found
Tenjo	Cundinamarca	zipa	2587	108	Petrographs found
Tibacuy	Cundinamarca	zipa & Panche	1647	84.4	Border with Panche Fortification against Panche & Sutagao Petrographs found
Tocancipá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2605	73.51	Preceramic site Tibitó Muisca ceramics production Important market town Petrographs found
Zipaquirá	Cundinamarca	zipa	2650	197	El Abra Muisca salt mines Important market town Petrographs and petroglyphs found
Fúquene	Cundinamarca	zipa zaque	2750	90	Lake Fúquene
Simijaca	Cundinamarca	zipa	2559	107	Conquered by zipa Saguamanchica upon zaque Michuá
Susa	Cundinamarca	zipa	2655	86	Conquered by zipa Saguamanchica upon zaque Michuá Lake Fúquene
Ubaté	Cundinamarca	zipa	2556	102	Conquered by zipa Saguamanchica upon zaque Michuá Muisca mummy found
Zipacón	Cundinamarca	zipa	2550	70	Agriculture Place of meditation for the zipa Petrographs found