Ms. Soles Social Studies Lesson 13 South America: History The Chibcha People.

Ms. Soles

Social Studies

Lesson 13

South America: HistoryThe Chibcha People

Today we will travel through distance and time!

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Lesson Goals

6.7.01 Relationship between historical events

6.4.02 Commodities of trade and their significance for cultures and regions.

6.10.04 Rights, roles, and status of individuals in selected culture.

Lesson Objectives

1) Find out who the Chibcha people or South America actually were.

2) Learn about how and where they lived.

3) Discover how their society was organized and reasons these people disappeared.

Terms to Know

El Dorado A Spanish legend about a place of great riches, especially gold.

Maize Corn, which is a grain that can be ground into flour.

Quinoa Another type of grain that can be ground into flour.

Who were the Chibchas?

The Chibchas were just one of the groups of native South Americans whose ancestors had migrated many, many years before into North and South America.

They lived on the isthmus of Panama in the northern part of south America.

Subsistence Methods in the Americas at 1000 BCE

Yellow: Hunter-Gatherers

Green: Simple farming Societies

Orange: Complex Farming Societies

Asian nomads are thought to have entered the Americas via the Bering Land Bridge (Beringia), now the Bering Strait and possibly along the Northwest coast. Over the course of millennia, Paleo-Indians spread throughout North America and South America

Major Cultural Areas of the Pre-Columbian Americas

Migration into the Continents

Isthmus of Panama

By the 1300’s, the Chibcha people were a very successful civilization in northern South America, spreading into the Northern Andes mountains. They were composed of several tribes, (Muiscas, Guanes, Laches and Chitareros), that spoke the same language.

Distribution of Chibchan Languages

Next to the Quechua of Peru and Ecuador and the Aymara in Bolivia, the Chibchas of the eastern and north-eastern Highlands of Colombia were the most striking of the sedentary indigenous peoples in South America. The Chibcha developed the most populous zone between the Maya and the Inca empires.

Another Tribe of the Chibchas

Muisca was the Chibcha-speaking tribe that formed the Muisca Confederation of the central highlands of present-day Colombia. They were encountered by the Spanish Empire in 1537, at the time of the conquest.

Muisca Raft Legend of El Dorado Offerings of Gold

The Chibchas carried out a ceremony in which gold dust was sprinkled over the body of a king. While in a boat, he was rowed out to the center of the lake, considered sacred.

The king would dive into the water and wash away the gold dust, as other gold objects were thrown into the water, as well. They were offerings to the gods that they worshipped.

Other Religious Practices

The various groups of Chibchas, such as the muiscas, worshipped many other things in nature, such as the sun and moon. Besides gold, they would offer such things as cotton and other precious goods to gods that they worshipped.

Ruins of an Ancient Muisca Temple

Although they did not have a precise calendar, the Muisca people knew exactly the timing of the Solstice (June 21). It was then the Day of Sue, the Sun-god. The Sue temple was in Sogamoso, the sacred city of the Sun-god and the seat of the Iraca (priest).

The Muisca name of the city, Suamox or Sugamuxi, means The City of the Sun. On the solstice, the Zaque went to Suamox for a major festival. Ritual offerings were made. It was the only day of the year when the Zaque showed his face, as he was considered a descendant of the Sun-god

Where did they live?

They lived primarily in the Andes highlands. The fertile soil in the valleys provided good farming. Even though they were close to the Equator, the higher elevations meant moderate temperatures and plenty of rainfall.

The many rivers and lakes provided a good environment. The most populated areas were mostly where we find Columbia is today

Columbia

The Muisca people did not make big stone structures. They did not use the abundant rock to leave monumental ruins as has happened with other American cultures. Their houses were built with materials such as clay, canes, and wood. The houses had a conical form.

The houses had small doors and windows, and the dwellings of the higher rank citizens were different. The Muisca people did not use a lot of furniture as they typically sat on the floor.

Model of Ancient Muisca Houses

Village Life

Most of these people lived in small villages of a few hundred. The chiefs’ or ripas’ homes were larger with more furniture and gold decorations. Sometimes their home would be surrounded by wooden walls.

Clothing was simple. The men and women wore two rectangular pieces of white cotton cloth. One piece was wrapped around the lower body at the waist, while the other piece wrapped to cover the upper body. If individuals were in higher ranks of society, designs of red or black were painted on their clothing.

Every tribe within the confederation was ruled by a chief or cacique. Most of the tribes were part of the Muisca ethnic group, sharing the same language and culture, and relating through trade. They united in the face of a common enemy.

The army was the responsibility of the Zipa or Zaque. The army was made up of the güeches, the traditional ancient warriors of the Muisca people.

The ruler, or Zipa could require taxes, labor, or various goods from the commoners. They are known to have lived lavish lifestyles. They wore jewelry of gold and emeralds, (Columbia is still known for), as well as the finest clothing.

Gold Necklace from Larco Museum, Lima, Peru

They would be carried by attendants on gold-covered couches, as flowers were thrown in their paths. Their thrones they ruled from were made of gold.

Emerald Crystal from Muzo, Columbia

The Gachala Emerald is one of the largest gem emeralds in the world, at 858 carats (172 g). This stone was found in 1967 at La Vega de San Juan mine in Gachalá, Colombia.

The Muisca Confederation was one of the biggest and best-organized confederations of tribes on the South American continent.

What happened to the Chibchas?

The various groups within the Chibcaa were in constant war against other tribes that were very aggressive, during the late 1400’s. These rivalries were taken advantage of by the Spaniards, who had claimed much of Columbia, as well as other parts of South America.

One of them, Jiménez de Quesada, and Nicolás de Federman, interested in locating El Dorado, discovered the rich plains of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The presence of the Spaniards gave hope to both sovereigns that, were they to prevail in a war against the Spaniards, could make one Confederation, the Spaniards prevailed.

The Spaniards killed the last Muisca sovereigns. The reaction of the chief leaders and the people did little to change the destiny of the Confederations. In 1542 Gonzalo Suaréz Rendón finally put down the last resistance and the territories of the Confederations. Later the Spaniard Crown would elect Quesada as the man in charge.

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada (1495 – 16 February 1579) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in Colombia. He explored the northern part of South America. He was successful in many of his exploits of acquiring massive amounts of gold and emeralds.

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada

Chibchas Today

After the Spaniards defeated and claimed the land of the Chibchas, Quesada renamed the area/colony Granada. In 1538, he turned a Chibcha town into the capital, “Bogota”, which is still considered Columbia’s capital.

Panoramic View of Bogota Today

The Chibchas’ gold and emeralds were taken by the Spaniards, as they changed their native culture. Many natives were converted to Christianity by Spaniard influence. As the native language declined, Spanish became the main language.

The Spanish affected every part of the Chibcha’s life. However, in spite of this, some native traditions have survived.

Now that we have taken a look into South America’s history, let’s head back to our own time and place!

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Resources

http://www.wikipedia.orghttp://www.GoogleEarth.com