Misplaced Pages

#128871

61-652: Tunja is a tourist destination, especially for religious colonial architecture, with the Casa Fundador Gonzalo Suárez Rendón as oldest remnant. In addition to its religious and historical sites it is host to several internationally known festivals and is a jumping-off point for regional tourist destinations such as Villa de Leyva , Paipa , and Sierra Nevada del Cocuy . It is a stop on the Pan American Highway which connects Tunja to Bogotá and Santa Marta and eventually to

122-567: A subsistence economy on the Altiplano. Main sources of their economy were agriculture and especially salt , that was extracted using large pots heated over fires from brines mined mainly in Zipaquirá and Nemocón . This process, an exclusive task of the Muisca women , gave the people the name "The Salt People". The high-quality salt was used as trade commodity with other indigenous groups, for

183-622: A Spanish soldier. His brother, Sagipa , succeeded him and served as last zipa under Spanish rule. The name Bacatá is maintained in the highest skyscraper of Colombia, BD Bacatá , and in the important fossil find in the Bogotá Formation ; Etayoa bacatensis . The word Bacatá is Chibcha , the language of the indigenous Muisca , who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense before the Spanish conquest . The word

244-718: A battle allied with the Spanish, the Battle of Tocarema , fought on August 19 and 20, 1537. The between 12,000 and 20,000 guecha warriors of the last zipa . together with "between 50 and not more than 100" Spanish soldiers defeated the Panche who posed powerful resistance thanks to their knowledge of the rugged terrain. The official foundation of Santafe de Bogotá, a new city in near the Eastern Ranges, on August 6, 1538, by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and his troops, terminated

305-635: A century or more after the Muisca were conquered. He proposed the idea of a loose collection of different people with slightly different languages and backgrounds rather than a strictly hierarchical organisation like the Aztec and Inca Empires . The zipa was the name of the leader of the southern part of the Muisca Confederation, mainly the Bogotá savanna and adjacent areas. As the Muisca lacked

366-628: A group of 800 conquistadors led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada left the Caribbean coastal city of Santa Marta on a harsh expedition into the heart of the Andes . This journey, that took one year and the lives of eighty percent of their men, led them into what was called by early chroniclers the " Muisca Confederation ". After submitting the southern Muisca who lived on the Bogotá savanna in April 1537,

427-478: A library. Bacat%C3%A1 Bacatá ( Chibcha : Muyquytá or Muequetá ) is the name given to the main settlement of the Muisca Confederation on the Bogotá savanna . It mostly refers to an area, rather than an individual village, although the name is also found in texts referring to the modern settlement of Funza , in the centre of the savanna. Bacatá was the main seat of the zipa ,

488-454: A prophecy from one of the caciques in the southern Muisca Confederation; he would "die, bathing in his own blood". When the zipa was informed of the advancing Spanish strangers, he fled his main seat in Muyquytá. The Spanish found the place abandoned and promptly founded the village of Funza on April 20, 1537, ending the reign of the zipa in Muyquytá. Tisquesusa was stabbed by one of

549-560: A sign that says "Captain Gonzalo Suárez Rendón, founder of the city of Tunja, built this house in 1539". The building was constructed from 1540 onwards, on the site where the first reunions of the colonists were held in August 1539 and served as the house of the founder and his family. Indigenous chronicles state that the house was in an advanced stage of completion in 1562. In 1570, conquistador Luis Lanchero reported that it

610-408: A written script, only the most recent zipas of the pre-Columbian period are known. The first reported zipa was Meicuchuca, who reigned from Muyquytá between approximately 1450 and 1470. Much of his life is mythological, with the legend of the snake as main story. His reign was followed by his nephew, Saguamanchica. At the start of his government, Saguamanchica submitted the neighbouring Sutagao to

671-475: Is a combination of bac or uac , ca , and tá , meaning "outside", "enclosure" and "farmfield(s)" respectively. The name is translated as "(enclosure) outside the farmfields", or "limit of the farmfields". Modern spellings are Muequetá and Muyquytá , and the word is transliterated into Spanish as Bogothá in Epítome de la conquista del Nuevo Reino de Granada . The high plateau in

SECTION 10

#1732773288129

732-475: Is a shopping center that features a Jumbo and a Cinemark Theatres among many other stores. Viva, a brand of Shopping Centers of Grupo Éxito . Relative to its small size, Tunja has been important in providing education. A large part of its population are students between high school and university. Tunja has a considerable number of colleges, among these is the College of Boyacá, the first public school in

793-586: Is called Muisca, in the indigenous language Muysccubun meaning "people" or "person"; the language did not have separate singular and plural designated words. During the phase of the Muisca, technological advancement of earlier established agricultural techniques, precise archaeoastronomical knowledge , a more developed social structure and a rich religion and mythology evolved on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. The Muisca were renowned traders with their neighbouring indigenous groups and developed

854-468: Is characterised by the cloistered staircases, the painted roof of the central hall and the use of marble . The house consists of two floors and is built around a central garden (patio) in an L-shaped form, with view on the Tunja Valley. The ground floor is built with stone arches and the upper floor built with wood. The architectural style is Andalusian and the front of the building is adorned with

915-510: Is influenced by its location and altitude. At almost 3000 m it is one of the higher cities in Colombia. As a result, the city features a subtropical highland climate ( Köppen Cfb ) with little variation in temperature throughout the year but a distinct dry season from December to February. The earliest evidence of human population on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense has been dated to approximately 12.000 years ago . Homus Tequendama inhabited

976-688: Is the only remaining house of a city founder in Latin America and started construction in 1540. The Altiplano Cundiboyacense , the central high plateau in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes before the Spanish conquest , was inhabited by the Muisca , a collection of indigenous people who spoke a version of Chibcha ; Muysccubun . Their egalitarian society and economy was self-sufficient and based on agriculture , trading with various surrounding indigenous groups and

1037-456: The cacique of Guatavita . Saguamanchica , with 50,000 soldiers, decided on a massive attack on hoa Michuá , crossing Guatavita and Chocontá , after which the Battle of Chocontá is named. Michuá dealt with him, supported by an army which doubled Saguamanchica , battling around three hours and killing both chiefs. A new hoa , Eucaneme, was installed, during the tense truce between Bacatá and Hunza. In 1514, Eucaneme found out about

1098-408: The caciques of the Muisca; Sagipa and Quiminnza (the successor of Eucaneme) were decapitated in public spectacles. One of the captains of Hernán Pérez de Quesada was Gonzalo Suárez Rendón , who was sent from Bogotá to Hunza, founding the city of Tunja as second-most Spanish colonial settlement on the Altiplano on August 6, 1539. The Spanish set up a system of encomiendas and Suárez Rendón became

1159-518: The first main expedition into the Andes . His main goal was to find and conquer El Dorado . After months of traveling, he found many Muisca cacicazgos in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense . In his search, he acquired information about emerald discoveries and other treasures in Somondoco and the Llanos . On August 20, 1537, the conquerors arrived, with horses and dogs. Jiménez de Quesada arrived at

1220-551: The mining of halite , giving them the name "The Salt People". They lived in small settlements of ten to one hundred bohíos scattered in the valleys of the Andes. Their system of hierarchy consisted of caciques and priests and the cacique of certain settlements were guarding larger areas. The main leaders of the community were the zipa based in Bacatá and the zaque based in Hunza , today known as Tunja. In April 1536,

1281-552: The zipa of Bacatá. The Spanish chroniclers describe a system of tributes or subordinate cacicazgos on the Bogotá savanna; dependencies of the zipa of Bacatá. The villages of Simijaca , Guachetá , Ubaté , Chocontá , Nemocón , Zipaquirá , Guatavita , Suba , Ubaqué , Tibacuy , Fusagasugá , Pasca , Cáqueza , Teusacá , Tosca, Guasca , and Pacho are described as part of the Bacatá rule. Other researchers, as Carl Henrik Langebaek and John Michael Francis , have revised

SECTION 20

#1732773288129

1342-637: The 2008 South American U-20 Futsal Cup in which Brazil was awarded as the championship. Colombia secured the fourth position in the tournament. The city has a professional basketball team called Patriotas that plays in the Saludcoop Invitational Cup. This team plays its matches in the Municipality Colosseum that has a capacity of up to 5,000 spectators. Casa Fundador Gonzalo Su%C3%A1rez Rend%C3%B3n The Casa del Fundador Gonzalo Suárez Rendón (English: "House of

1403-440: The Bogotá savanna were cherished as products of their gods. An important lake for the Muisca was Lake Guatavita , a circular lake at an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) to the northeast of present-day Guatavita . This lake formed the basis for the -not so much- legend of El Dorado ; the "city or man of gold". At the initiation of the new zipa , a ritual was organised where he covered himself with gold dust and jumped into

1464-536: The Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, is an area with an average elevation of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) above sea level, populated since the prehistorical era . The first evidences of human settlement date to the Latest Pleistocene at 12,500 years BP . The oldest dated rock shelters are the pre-Clovis sites El Abra and Tibitó in the northern part of

1525-523: The Europeans were around his lands, he decided to stay in Hunza and avoided any aggression against the invaders. He forbade under strict penalties to show the conquistadors the path to his headquarters and when he knew they were reaching him, he sent them gifts and peacemakers, hoping to stop them while he was hiding his treasures. Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada parted from Santa Marta in April 1536, on

1586-624: The Founder Gonzalo Suárez Rendón") is a museum and monument in Tunja , the capital of Boyacá , Colombia . It is situated on the central square of Tunja, named Plaza Bolívar , but historically called Plaza Suárez Rendón , honouring the city founder Gonzalo Suárez Rendón , who established Tunja for the Spanish Crown on August 6, 1539. The colonial building, declared a monument in 1959 and designated as museum in 1965,

1647-417: The Muisca population. Aquiminzaque should verify his nuptials with the daughter of the cacique of Gameza and many chiefs decided to go the solemn ceremony. A rumour came to Perez de Quesada that the occasion would be used as an insurrection, for which he apprehended Aquiminzaque and all the caciques, among them the ones from Toca, Motavita, Samacá, Turmequé and Sutamarchán, and condemn them to death. In 1540,

1708-681: The Muisca was Bochica , who according to their mythology prevented the main river of the Bogotá savanna, the Bogotá River , from frequent overflowings by creating the Tequendama Falls . The present course of the Bogotá River is just east and south of Bacatá, a main settlement in the centre of the savanna. Analysis of the top soils surrounding the Bogotá River in proximity to Bacatá revealed several raised terrains used for agriculture. The name Muisca Confederation has been given to

1769-537: The Nemequene Code, a code of conduct with severe punishments for those who didn't comply with the laws he drafted. Possibly the salt mining village of Nemocón was named after Nemequene, who died around the year 1514 and was succeeded by Tisquesusa. The latter was the psihipqua of Muyquytá until the moment the first Europeans appeared in the Muisca Confederation, in March 1537. The light-skinned strangers came from

1830-558: The New Kingdom of Granada with two other conquistadors in northern South America, who had reached the Bogotá savanna in early 1539, in May 1539, he left the rule of Bogotá and the colony in the hands of his younger brother, Hernán Pérez de Quesada . Hernán, with the assistance of his fellow conquistadors tortured Sagipa by burning his feet to have him give up his valuables. The last zipa of Muyquytá did not survive these torments and died in

1891-636: The Pleistocene Lake Humboldt , proved favourable for agriculture , that was introduced to the people by migrants probably from Peru and Central America. The earliest evidences of agriculture have been found in Zipacón , to the west of Bacatá, and date back to 2800 years BP. Dating to around the same time, ceramics has been uncovered, and the ceramic period was named Herrera Period , after Lake Herrera , ranging from 800 BCE to 800 AD, with regional variations in time. The time after 800

Tunja - Misplaced Pages Continue

1952-413: The Spanish camp at Bosa in 1539, ending the rule of the indigenous Muisca on the Bogotá savanna. The bloodline of Muyquytáwas maintained in one of the first mestizo marriages in the New Kingdom of Granada; Sagipa's daughter, described as Magdalena de Guatavita, married conquistador Hernán Venegas Carrillo and the couple got four children; María, Fernán, Isabel and Alonso Venegas. In a twist of fate,

2013-534: The Zaque was beheaded and his death marked the end of the dynasty of zaques of Hunza. In the same way, it points to the disintegration and dispersion of natives in encomiendas along the new Tunja Province . The Spanish city of Tunja was founded on the lands of Quemuenchatocha, where later the convent of San Agustin was built. Founded by Captain Gonzalo Suarez Rendón , on August 6, 1539, the main square

2074-548: The area by 6375 BCE. Archeologists have found human skeletons including arm bones in the area. Many archaeological discoveries were found in the area of the present-day city, dated to approximately 150 BCE . During the 1st millennium AD, the territory was inhabited by the Muisca , who spoke Chibcha and emigrated from Central America through Panama to the Andean Region . The Muisca developed their own religion , calendar and mythology . According to those myths, it

2135-665: The capital of the New Kingdom of Granada , as the colonial lands of the Spanish Empire was called after the home region of the brothers De Quesada in Andalusia , Spain. Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada embarked a ship in Cartagena with several other conquistadors for Spain in the first half of 1539 and left the control of the new colony in the hands of his brother. Under his command, various atrocities were committed against

2196-466: The conservation of fish and meat and as spice in their cuisine . Other products used for barter trade were coca , gold and emeralds . The Muisca were known as skilled gold workers , producing a variety of golden figurines with the tunjos as most abundant artefacts. These votive figures were used in the religious rituals of the people around the main sacred sites on the Altiplano. The many lakes, wetlands and rivers, remainders of Lake Humboldt, on

2257-501: The expansionist intentions of the new psihipqua Nemequene . He asked the caciques of Gámeza , Sugamuxi , Tundama and Sáchica to help him to reinforce his army. A battle was fought in Ventaquemada and, when Nemequene was about to become the victor, he was fatally wounded and his troops retreated. Iraca retracted his support and Eucaneme got a truce whose terms would end when the Spanish arrived. When Eucaneme found out

2318-492: The farmfields", referring to the rich agricultural lands of the Sabana Formation on the Bogotá savanna. Bacatá was submitted to the Spanish Empire by the conquistadors led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada on April 20, 1537. Santafe de Bogotá, the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada , was formally founded on August 6, 1538. The last zipa of an independent Bacatá was Tisquesusa , who died after being stabbed by

2379-624: The fertile Bogotá savanna. During the occupation phases of these sites, the area experienced a páramo paleoclimate. Pleistocene megafauna as Cuvieronius hyodon , Haplomastodon waringi and Equus lasallei populated the Bogotá savanna and served as prey for the first human occupants. When the climate after the Last Glacial Maximum became more favourable during the early Holocene , human settlement shifted from caves and rock shelters to open area sites where primitive circular living spaces were constructed using bones and skin of

2440-491: The first encomendero of Tunja. The Casa del Fundador Gonzalo Suárez Rendón is located at the eastern end of the central square of Tunja; Plaza de Bolívar , previously called Plaza Suárez Rendón . The house, with present address Carrera 9 #19-56 between the cathedral of Tunja and the Universidad de Boyacá , was built roughly between 1540 and 1570 by 3000 Muisca for the city founder Gonzalo Suárez Rendón . The building

2501-570: The headquarters of Quemuenchatocha, finding him in a chair, dressed in gold in the same way as his companions who ran off, leaving him alone. The gold, the emeralds and the fancy fabrics were taken. This conquest took place where later the San Agustin Convent was built. Quemuenchatocha was taken to Suesca , with the hope he would reveal where he hid the rest of his treasure. He abdicated in favour of his nephew Aquiminzaque and retired to Ramiriquí where he died. The Spanish Invasion of

Tunja - Misplaced Pages Continue

2562-625: The ice cold waters of the lake from a raft. This ritual is represented in the famous Muisca raft , main artefact in the Museo del Oro in the Colombian capital. The flatlands of the Bogotá savanna were dotted with several small settlements consisting of 10 to 100 bohíos . The people constructed temples to honour their main deities; Sué (the Sun) and his wife Chía , the Moon. Another important deity for

2623-439: The idea of tributes and attribute the term to a translation error of the Spanish writers. The Muysccubun verb "to give, to present" was zebquisca and the word for "to give" was zequasca , zemnisca or zequitusuca . Modern anthropologists, such as Jorge Gamboa Mendoza , attribute the present-day knowledge about the "confederation" and its organization more to a reflection by Spanish chroniclers who predominantly wrote about it

2684-412: The loose collection of caciques who governed several small settlements on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the times before the Spanish conquest . The area of roughly 25,000 square kilometres (9,700 sq mi) was subdivided into main cacicazgos , with as most important from northeast to southwest the terrains of Tundama around Tundama , the iraca of Suamox , the zaque of Hunza and

2745-939: The lowest homicide rate in Colombia and is below average in Latin America according to the report from the International Centre of the Prevention of Crime for 2010. 2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015 makes the city one of the safest in the Americas. According to other sources, this value is four times lower than the national average. Tunja is an example of a safe city. The streets are named according to 472 and Google Maps nomenclatures — (C: calle), (K: carrera), (S: south), (E: east), (A: ave). Southern Sector Eastern Sector Downtown Northern Sector Main places of interest are: Unicentro

2806-432: The north after a strenuous expedition of almost a year where they lost more than 80 percent of their soldiers. The Spanish conquistadors brought horses, an unknown animal for the Muisca and especially the horse riders were feared by the people who thought the rider and the horse were one entity. Also the hunting dogs the Spanish conquerors brought on their journey created fear in the hearts of the people. Tisquesusa received

2867-454: The northern and southernmost parts of South America . Tunja has a population of 172,548 inhabitants according to the 2018 Census. 0.1% of the city is indigenous, 0.4% is black, and 99.5% is white and Mestizo. It is located in central Colombia, at an elevation ranging from approximately 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) to 2,900 metres (9,500 ft). The city centre is at an elevation of 2,820 metres (9,250 ft) above sea level. Tunja's climate

2928-411: The period of Muyquytá as "capital" of the southern Muisca. The city was founded in the present-day centre of the Colombian city as capital of the New Kingdom of Granada . Sagipa, dethroned as ruler of Muyquytá, received continuous threats from the Spanish after the victory, to hand over the valuable treasures of the Muisca; golden objects, cotton mantles and emeralds . When Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada left

2989-592: The public universities in Colombia. Other universities are: The city has two professional football teams: Boyacá Chico and Patriotas F.C. The teams play in the Colombian Professional Football A league. They play their games at La Independencia Stadium in the north of the city. The stadium was rebuilt for the Copa Libertadores 2009 , expanding capacity to 20,630 spectators and meeting FIFA specifications. The city organized

3050-557: The ruler of the Bogotá savanna and adjacent areas. The name of the Colombian capital, Bogotá , is derived from Bacatá, but founded as Santafe de Bogotá in the western foothills of the Eastern Hills in a different location than the original settlement Bacatá, west of the Bogotá River , eventually named after Bacatá as well. The word is a combination of the Chibcha words bac , ca and tá , and means "(enclosure) outside

3111-552: The sister of the previous zipa would become the new ruler. The Spanish used this anomaly to set the Muisca up against Sagipa, also known as Zaquesazipa, and pressured him to pay tributes to the treasurers of the Spanish Empire . The new rulers of the Bogotá savanna used the eternal enemies of the Muisca, the Panche who inhabited the western slopes of the Eastern Ranges towards the Magdalena River , as bait to lure Sagipa into

SECTION 50

#1732773288129

3172-415: The soldiers of the Spanish troops and fled towards the western hills bordering the Bogotá savanna. As the prophecy had predicted, he died alone and bathing in his own blood in the hills of Facatativá . His body was discovered much later. At the turn of the rule of Muyquytá, the government was taken over by Sagipa, Tisquesusa's brother. This succession was against the norm of the Muisca, where the eldest son of

3233-407: The south of the Bogotá savanna in the Battle of Pasca . Approximately twenty years later, Saguamanchica went to war with the zaque of Hunza, Michuá and both leaders were killed in the Battle of Chocontá , fought around 1490. Saguamanchica was succeeded by Nemequene, who according to the biographies about him held a brutal reign over his people. One of his accomplishments was the installation of

3294-460: The territories of Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama and Colombia, established when these countries were part of Gran Colombia . It was founded on 20 October 1822 by Vice President Francisco de Paula Santander . Among the most important schools are: Tunja's major university, the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia (Uptc), was founded by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla , and is one of

3355-472: The territory begins when Jimenez de Quesada captures Quemuenchatocha who is succeeded in life by the young Aquiminzaque. The latter, along with his tribe were taken as an encomienda by Hernán Pérez de Quesada . The new zaque did not show belligerent in front of the Spaniards, and later himself converted to Catholicism. The continuous and numerous demands made by the Spaniards started to create discomfort among

3416-408: The then still abundant white-tailed deer . Early open area sites are Checua , Aguazuque and Galindo . Other rock shelters such as Tequendama , in the south of the Bogotá savanna, remained populated or used for temporary settlement during this preceramic period . The fertile soils of the Bogotá savanna, sediments of the Sabana Formation , deposited in a lacustrine environment as a result of

3477-442: The troops split up and Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, his brother Hernán Pérez de Quesada and various others set foot to the northeast, where they reached the territories of the hoa in August 1537. hoa Eucaneme was defeated by the Spanish on August 20, 1537, in his bohío in Hunza. What followed were several other expeditions to parts of the Muisca Confederation and the foundation of the city of Bogotá on August 6, 1538, becoming

3538-715: Was established, also a yard for the church and public buildings around the square; in 1550, the city outlines were consolidated. The same year, The franciscans arrive to the city, and the Dominicans a year later, the Augustinians in 1585 and the Jesuits in 1611; To the foundation, 77 yards are added and divided, along with 70 vegetable gardens, 11 estates and 44 stables. Only until 1616 two parishes are built to receive mestizos and Indians during colonial period: Santa Barbara, at southwest and Las Nieves, at north. Tunja has

3599-511: Was named Hunza . Hunzahúa took the title of hoa ("great lord", the same meaning as psihipqua who ruled from Muyquytá ), and reign over the lands from the Chicamocha to Fusagasugá and from the Llanos de San Juan to Panche and Muzo frontiers, including Vélez territory. This helped to unify the Muisca, especially with respect to their language and religion, until zipa Saguamanchica broke this unity due to differences with

3660-405: Was one of the most luxurious mansions of the New Kingdom of Granada. Many conquistadors of the early days of the colony stayed in the house, among which Jerónimo Lebrón de Quiñones , Alonso Luis de Lugo , Hernán Pérez de Quesada and Pedro de Ursúa . The house was made a museum in 1965 and hosts eighty objects of art and history. It is administered by the municipality ( Alcaldía Mayor ) and hosts

3721-420: Was the brutal cacique and prophet Goranchacha who moved the capital for the northern Muisca from Ramiriquí to Tunja, then called Hunza . An era when frequent battles among cacicazgos took place, peace was proposed for the region and an agreement was made among caciques to choose a supreme chief to rule them all. Hunzahúa , who came from Ramiriqui , was elected. The capital of his confederation

SECTION 60

#1732773288129
#128871