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History of Bogotá
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History of Bogotá
The history of Bogotá refers to the history of the area surrounding the Colombian capital Bogotá. The area around Bogotá was first populated by groups of indigenous people that migrated from mesoamerica. Among these groups were the Muisca (the Chibcha speaking people) that settled on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in what is now Cundinamarca and Boyacá. With the arrival of the Spanish colonizers the area was developed into a major settlement that was founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada in 1538, and became capital of the Spanish Empire provinces and the seat of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. With independence, Bogotá became the capital of the Gran Colombia, and -subsequently- of the Republic of Colombia.
The first indigenous people inhabiting Bogotá were the Muisca, who spoke Chibcha. At the arrival of the conquerors, the Muisca has been estimated to consist of 110,000 to two million people. The Muisca occupied the mild-climate highlands between the Sumapaz mountains to the southwest and the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy in the northeast. They lived within an approximate area of 25,000 km2 (9,700 sq mi), which comprised Bogotá's high plateau, the current Boyacá department portion, and a small part of Santander. The most fertile lands were ancient Pleistocene lake beds, remnants of Lake Humboldt, forming the Bogotá savanna, an area called Bacatá, and regions irrigated by the Bogotá, Suárez and Chicamocha Rivers.
Politically, the area formed part of the Muisca Confederation with the northern ruler called zaque (ruling from Hunza, present-day Tunja) and the southern ruler, based in Bacatá, the zipa. The Muisca were predominantly farmers and traders and formed a dispersed population occupying numerous small villages and settlements with wooden and clay houses, called bohíos by the Spanish. The iraca of sacred City of the Sun Sugamuxi was the principal religious leader. Other rulers were Tundama in the city of the same name, now called Duitama and various independent caciques, mainly of Guatavita, Ubaté, Ubaque and Vélez. The original hunter-gatherer population of the Herrera Period, predating the Muisca, slowly changed into a sedentary community based on agriculture. The people cultivated maize, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, tubers, such as yuca, tobacco, arracacha, sweet potatoes and various fruits and vegetables. The Muisca people were called "Salt People", due to their extraction of salt from brines in large pots. The main salt mines were and are still in Zipaquirá, Nemocón and Tausa, at the northern edge of the Bogotá savanna. Emeralds were mined in Chivor and Somondoco and traded with the Muzo, who were called the "Emerald People". Cotton was cultivated by the higher-altitude neighbours, such as the Lache and U'wa to the north.
Chía was Zipa's territory ceremonial center, a place designed for moon worship, while the Zaque's ceremonial center was Sogamoso, where the Sun temple was located. Apparently, the major Muisca priest's function was astronomic observation. Numerous archeological monuments in the form of stone columns witness the relation, such as "Cojines del Diablo" (Devil's Cushions) two large discs carved high up in the rock within Tunja urban perimeter, which were probably Moon observation sites. At Saquenzipa, ceremonial center near Villa de Leyva, some 25 large cylindrical columns aligned in the east-west direction stand: from this place, on summer solstice day the sun rises exactly over Iguaque lake from where Bachué goddess emerged as the legend tells.
Bochica, the civilizing God taught them manual arts, gave them moral standards, and subsequently saved them from deluge and Sabana flood by breaking the rock and letting the water flow to form Tequendama falls. The goddess Chia was the moon, Zuhé the sun. They worshiped other various astral gods. For the Muisca, lakes were sacred places where they had their ceremonies. Their most important myths and legends mention Guatavita, Siecha, Tota, Fúquene, and Iguacu lakes, where gold and ceramic gifts have been found. They also worshiped the dead, nobles and chiefs were mummified and buried with all their belongings.
Although the Muisca Confederation had no gold, they obtained it from trading with other tribes. They manufactured diverse pieces, the most outstanding are tunjos; small anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures they offered to their gods. Among the diverse techniques, they used to manufacture those pieces are lost wax, hammering, and repouseé. Gold objects served for funerary and sacred sacrifices. The Muisca also made necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pectorals, nose rings, and other pieces they used to decorate themselves with. The Museo del Oro and other private collection museums still preserve those pieces. The Muisca elaborated on clothes and produced ceramics.
From 1533, belief persisted in the sense that Río Grande de la Magdalena was the trail to the South Sea, to Peru, and the legendary El Dorado. To reach the latter was the goal of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, the Spanish conquistador who left Santa Marta on April 6, 1536 with 800 soldiers heading towards the interior of current Colombia. The expedition divided into two groups, one under De Quesada's command to move on land and the other commanded by Diego de Urbino would ascend the Magdalena River in four brigantine ships to meet De Quesada's troops at a site named Tora de las Barrancas Bermejas, present-day Barrancabermeja. When they arrived, they heard news about indigenous people inhabiting the south and making large salt cakes used to trade for cotton and fish. De Quesada decided to abandon the route to Peru and cross the Andes in search of "salt villages". They saw crops, trails, white salt cakes and then huts where they found farm fields (called tá in the Chibcha language) with maize, yuca and beans. From Tora the expedition went up the Opón River where the Spanish found indigenous tribes covered with very fine painted cotton mantles. When they arrived on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, of the expedition leaving Santa Marta only 70 men were left.
Along their journey they took a large amount of gold and emeralds. In Hunza the Spanish submitted zaque Quemuenchatocha and headed towards Sogamoso, where they raided and accidentally set the Sun Temple on fire.
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History of Bogotá
The history of Bogotá refers to the history of the area surrounding the Colombian capital Bogotá. The area around Bogotá was first populated by groups of indigenous people that migrated from mesoamerica. Among these groups were the Muisca (the Chibcha speaking people) that settled on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in what is now Cundinamarca and Boyacá. With the arrival of the Spanish colonizers the area was developed into a major settlement that was founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada in 1538, and became capital of the Spanish Empire provinces and the seat of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. With independence, Bogotá became the capital of the Gran Colombia, and -subsequently- of the Republic of Colombia.
The first indigenous people inhabiting Bogotá were the Muisca, who spoke Chibcha. At the arrival of the conquerors, the Muisca has been estimated to consist of 110,000 to two million people. The Muisca occupied the mild-climate highlands between the Sumapaz mountains to the southwest and the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy in the northeast. They lived within an approximate area of 25,000 km2 (9,700 sq mi), which comprised Bogotá's high plateau, the current Boyacá department portion, and a small part of Santander. The most fertile lands were ancient Pleistocene lake beds, remnants of Lake Humboldt, forming the Bogotá savanna, an area called Bacatá, and regions irrigated by the Bogotá, Suárez and Chicamocha Rivers.
Politically, the area formed part of the Muisca Confederation with the northern ruler called zaque (ruling from Hunza, present-day Tunja) and the southern ruler, based in Bacatá, the zipa. The Muisca were predominantly farmers and traders and formed a dispersed population occupying numerous small villages and settlements with wooden and clay houses, called bohíos by the Spanish. The iraca of sacred City of the Sun Sugamuxi was the principal religious leader. Other rulers were Tundama in the city of the same name, now called Duitama and various independent caciques, mainly of Guatavita, Ubaté, Ubaque and Vélez. The original hunter-gatherer population of the Herrera Period, predating the Muisca, slowly changed into a sedentary community based on agriculture. The people cultivated maize, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, tubers, such as yuca, tobacco, arracacha, sweet potatoes and various fruits and vegetables. The Muisca people were called "Salt People", due to their extraction of salt from brines in large pots. The main salt mines were and are still in Zipaquirá, Nemocón and Tausa, at the northern edge of the Bogotá savanna. Emeralds were mined in Chivor and Somondoco and traded with the Muzo, who were called the "Emerald People". Cotton was cultivated by the higher-altitude neighbours, such as the Lache and U'wa to the north.
Chía was Zipa's territory ceremonial center, a place designed for moon worship, while the Zaque's ceremonial center was Sogamoso, where the Sun temple was located. Apparently, the major Muisca priest's function was astronomic observation. Numerous archeological monuments in the form of stone columns witness the relation, such as "Cojines del Diablo" (Devil's Cushions) two large discs carved high up in the rock within Tunja urban perimeter, which were probably Moon observation sites. At Saquenzipa, ceremonial center near Villa de Leyva, some 25 large cylindrical columns aligned in the east-west direction stand: from this place, on summer solstice day the sun rises exactly over Iguaque lake from where Bachué goddess emerged as the legend tells.
Bochica, the civilizing God taught them manual arts, gave them moral standards, and subsequently saved them from deluge and Sabana flood by breaking the rock and letting the water flow to form Tequendama falls. The goddess Chia was the moon, Zuhé the sun. They worshiped other various astral gods. For the Muisca, lakes were sacred places where they had their ceremonies. Their most important myths and legends mention Guatavita, Siecha, Tota, Fúquene, and Iguacu lakes, where gold and ceramic gifts have been found. They also worshiped the dead, nobles and chiefs were mummified and buried with all their belongings.
Although the Muisca Confederation had no gold, they obtained it from trading with other tribes. They manufactured diverse pieces, the most outstanding are tunjos; small anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures they offered to their gods. Among the diverse techniques, they used to manufacture those pieces are lost wax, hammering, and repouseé. Gold objects served for funerary and sacred sacrifices. The Muisca also made necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pectorals, nose rings, and other pieces they used to decorate themselves with. The Museo del Oro and other private collection museums still preserve those pieces. The Muisca elaborated on clothes and produced ceramics.
From 1533, belief persisted in the sense that Río Grande de la Magdalena was the trail to the South Sea, to Peru, and the legendary El Dorado. To reach the latter was the goal of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, the Spanish conquistador who left Santa Marta on April 6, 1536 with 800 soldiers heading towards the interior of current Colombia. The expedition divided into two groups, one under De Quesada's command to move on land and the other commanded by Diego de Urbino would ascend the Magdalena River in four brigantine ships to meet De Quesada's troops at a site named Tora de las Barrancas Bermejas, present-day Barrancabermeja. When they arrived, they heard news about indigenous people inhabiting the south and making large salt cakes used to trade for cotton and fish. De Quesada decided to abandon the route to Peru and cross the Andes in search of "salt villages". They saw crops, trails, white salt cakes and then huts where they found farm fields (called tá in the Chibcha language) with maize, yuca and beans. From Tora the expedition went up the Opón River where the Spanish found indigenous tribes covered with very fine painted cotton mantles. When they arrived on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, of the expedition leaving Santa Marta only 70 men were left.
Along their journey they took a large amount of gold and emeralds. In Hunza the Spanish submitted zaque Quemuenchatocha and headed towards Sogamoso, where they raided and accidentally set the Sun Temple on fire.
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