Muisca

E54255
Chibchan-speaking people indigenous people pre-Columbian civilization

The Muisca were an indigenous civilization of the Colombian Andes renowned for their advanced metallurgy, complex social and religious systems, and the goldworking traditions that inspired the legend of El Dorado.

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Observed surface forms (4)

Surface form Occurrences
Muisca people 5
Muisca Confederation 4
Muisca culture 3

Statements (54)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Chibchan-speaking people ⓘ
indigenous people ⓘ
pre-Columbian civilization ⓘ
alternativeName Chibchan peoples ⓘ
surface form: Chibcha (people)

Muysca ⓘ
artForm tunjos (small metal votive figures) ⓘ
associatedLegend El Dorado (legendary city of gold) ⓘ
surface form: El Dorado
capitalOfZaque Hunza ⓘ
capitalOfZipa Sibaté ⓘ
surface form: Bacatá
conqueredBy Spanish Empire ⓘ
conquestPeriod 1537–1540s ⓘ
continent South America ⓘ
cosmologyFeature sun and moon worship ⓘ
country Colombia ⓘ
culturalRevival language and traditions revitalization in 20th–21st centuries ⓘ
economyBase emerald trade ⓘ
maize agriculture ⓘ
potato cultivation ⓘ
salt mining ⓘ
floruit c. 600–1600 CE ⓘ
importantRulerTitle iraca ⓘ
tundama ⓘ
knownFor advanced metallurgy ⓘ
complex religious system ⓘ
complex social organization ⓘ
cotton textiles ⓘ
goldworking ⓘ
inspiring the legend of El Dorado ⓘ
intensive agriculture ⓘ
salt production ⓘ
trade networks in northern South America ⓘ
language Muysccubun ⓘ
languageFamily Chibchan languages ⓘ
mainRulerTitle zaque ⓘ
zipa ⓘ
majorDeity Bachué ⓘ
Bochica ⓘ
Chibchacum ⓘ
Chía ⓘ
Sué ⓘ
metalWorked copper ⓘ
gold ⓘ
tumbaga (gold-copper alloy) ⓘ
modernDescendants Muisca communities in Cundinamarca and Boyacá ⓘ
modernLocationOfBacatá Capital District of Bogotá ⓘ
surface form: Bogotá region
modernLocationOfHunza Tunja region ⓘ
politicalStructure loose confederation of chiefdoms ⓘ
region Andes ⓘ
religion polytheism ⓘ
ritualPractice offering gold and emeralds to sacred lakes ⓘ
ritualSite Guatavita ⓘ
surface form: Lake Guatavita

Lake Iguaque ⓘ
subregion Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes ⓘ
timePeriod Late pre-Columbian era ⓘ

Referenced by (17)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

this entity surface form: Muisca people
this entity surface form: Muisca Confederation
subject surface form: Muisca raft
this entity surface form: Muisca people
subject surface form: Muisca raft
this entity surface form: Muisca people
Nemocón → hasHeritage → Muisca ⓘ
this entity surface form: Muisca culture
Zipaquirá → hasHeritage → Muisca ⓘ
this entity surface form: Muisca culture
this entity surface form: Muisca people
subject surface form: Muisca raft
this entity surface form: Muisca cosmology
this entity surface form: Muisca culture
this entity surface form: Muisca Confederation
this entity surface form: Muisca Confederation
this entity surface form: Muisca Confederation
this entity surface form: Muisca people