The Battle of Chocontá was one of a series of battles in the ongoing conflict between the northern and southern
Muisca of
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...
central
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. The battle was fought 1490 in the vicinity of
Chocontá. An army of 50,000 southern Muisca
guecha warriors, led by their ruler, or ''
zipa
When the Spain, Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''Zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Funza, Muyquytá. The ''Zaque'' was the ...
'',
Saguamanchica
Saguamanchica (died Chocontá, 1490) was the second ruler (''zipa'') of Muyquytá, as of 1470. His '' zaque'' enemy ruling over the northern area of the Muisca territory was Michuá.
Alternative spellings of his name are Sacuan Machica, Sagua ...
, attacked 60,000 northern Muisca troops commanded by
Zaque Michuá, who was supported by the
Cacique
A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the TaÃno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...
of
Guatavita.
Background
In the decades before the
Spanish conquistadors
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
arrived in the central highlands of Colombia in 1537, the area was ruled by two main groups: the ''zacazgo'' of the northern Muisca and the ''zipazgo'' of the southern Muisca. While the two factions were joined in a confederation, they fought numerous wars to conquer terrain and to gain access to the resources of the area, mainly
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
,
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
, and
emerald
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...
s.
The northern Muisca inhabited the area of the current
department of
Boyacá while the southern Muisca lived in the present-day
Cundinamarca Department. The capital of the ''zaque'' was
Hunza, today known as Tunja, and the ''zipa'' resided in
Bacatá, the later Colombian capital Bogotá.
[
]
Battle
The invading southern guecha warriors of Saguamanchica gathered near Chocontá to face the Michuá. The battle lasted three hours and was recorded as being exceptionally bloody. The leaders of both armies were killed during the battle. The ''zipazgo'' of the southern Muisca was victorious. Quemuenchatocha became the new ''zaque'' of Hunza and the ''zipa'' of Bacatá was succeeded by Nemequene
Nemequene or Nemeguene (died 1514) was the third ruler (''zipa'') of Bacatá as of 1490. His '' zaque'' counterpart ruling over the northern area of the Muisca territory was Quemuenchatocha.
Etymology
Nemequene in the Chibcha language of t ...
.[
The battle was one of the first Muisca acts of war documented by the bishop and chronicler Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita.][ Adolfo Constenla Umaña, 1996 â€]
PoesÃa Tradicional IndÃgena Costarricense (Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica)
/ref>
Battle of Chocontá in Muisca history
See also
* Muisca warfare, history of Colombia, Battle of Tocarema
* Muisca rulers, Battle of Pasca
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choconta
15th century in Colombia
Military history of Latin America
Muisca Confederation
Cundinamarca Department
Battles involving Indigenous peoples of the Americas
Pre-Columbian warfare
Conflicts in 1490