Muisca

Muisca

Muysca
Muisca raft (1200–1500 CE) representation of the initiation of the new zipa at the lake of Guatavita
Total population
14,051[1] (2005, census)
10,000,000 Chibcha Mestizos (approximately)[2]
Regions with significant populations
Altiplano Cundiboyacense,  Colombia
Languages
Chibcha, Colombian Spanish
Religion
Muisca religion, Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Guane, Lache, U'wa, Tegua, Guayupe, Sutagao, Panche, Muzo

The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan language family, also called Muysca and Mosca.^[3] They were encountered by conquistadors dispatched by the Spanish Empire in 1537 at the time of the conquest. Subgroupings of the Muisca were mostly identified by their allegiances to three great rulers: the hoa, centered in Hunza, ruling a territory roughly covering modern southern and northeastern Boyacá and southern Santander; the psihipqua, centered in Muyquytá and encompassing most of modern Cundinamarca, the western Llanos; and the iraca, religious ruler of Suamox and modern northeastern Boyacá and southwestern Santander.

The territory of the Muisca spanned an area of around 25,000 km² (9,700 sq mi) from the north of Boyacá to the Sumapaz Páramo and from the summits to the western portion of the Eastern Ranges. Their territory bordered the lands of the Panche in the west, the Muzo in the northwest, the Guane in the north, the Lache in the northeast, the Achagua in the east, and the Sutagao in the south.

At the time of the Spaniard invasion, the area had a large population, although the precise number of inhabitants is not known. Estimates vary from 1 million to over 3 million inhabitants. Their economy was based on agriculture, salt mining, trading, metalworking, and manufacturing.

Due to Spanish colonization, the population of the Muisca has drastically decreased and assimilated into the general population. The descendants of the Muisca are often found in rural municipalities including Cota, Chía, Tenjo, Suba, Engativá, Tocancipá, Gachancipá, and Ubaté.^[4] A census by the Ministry of Interior Affairs in 2005 reports a total of 14,051 Muisca people in Colombia.^[1]

Much of our knowledge about the Muisca comes from the testimonies of their conquistadors, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada; Spanish poet, soldier, and priest Juan de Castellanos (16th century); bishop Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita and Franciscan Pedro Simón (17th century). More recently, Javier Ocampo López and Gonzalo Correal Urrego have contributed notable scholarship.