Muisca Confederations

The Muisca Confederations were loosely organized chiefdoms on Colombia’s Altiplano, commonly grouped around the rulers of Bacatá and Hunza before Spanish conquest.

Zipa: The Muisca ruler associated with Bacatá and the southern part of the Altiplano. The Zipa headed the southern grouping commonly treated as one confederation.
Muisca: A Chibchan-speaking Indigenous people of the eastern Colombian Andes, especially the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. The confederations were political groupings of Muisca communities.
Spanish conquest of the Muisca: The Spanish invasion and subjugation of Muisca territories in the 1530s. The conquest ended the confederations’ political independence.
Tisquesusa: A Zipa of Bacatá who ruled during the Spanish invasion of Muisca territory. His reign illustrates the southern ruler’s confrontation with the invading Spaniards.
Zaque: The Muisca ruler associated with Hunza and the northern part of the Altiplano. The Zaque headed the northern grouping, a counterpart to the Zipa.
Altiplano Cundiboyacense: A high plateau in Colombia’s Eastern Ranges, centered on present-day Bogotá and Boyacá. Its valleys and uplands contained the communities grouped under Bacatá and Hunza.
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada: A Spanish conquistador who led the 1530s expedition that conquered much of Muisca territory. His campaign overthrew the rulers associated with Bacatá and Hunza.
Quemuenchatocha: A Zaque of Hunza who ruled during the Spanish invasion of Muisca territory. His capture marked the northern rulers’ exposure to Spanish power.
Bacatá: A major Muisca political center in the southern Altiplano, associated with the Zipa. Its ruler’s domain formed the southern focus of the confederations.
Chibchan languages: A language family spoken across parts of Central America and northern South America. Muisca speech belonged to this family and linked communities across the region.

Linked from 5 pages

History of ColombiaBroader topic: Its encounter with Spanish conquerors marked a decisive shift in the central highlands.