Battle of Chocontá

Coordinates: 5°09′N 73°41′W / 5.150°N 73.683°W

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Battle of Chocontá (~1490)

Battle of Chocontá
by Lucas de Piedrahita (1676)

Location	Chocontá, Muisca Confederation 5°09′N 73°41′W / 5.150°N 73.683°W / 5.150; -73.683
Result	Zipazgo of the southern victory

Belligerents

Zipazgo of the southern Muisca

Zacazgo of the northern Muisca

Commanders and leaders

Saguamanchica †

Michuá †
cacique of Guatavita

Strength

~50,000^[1]

~60,000^[2]

Casualties and losses

Unknown

Battle of Chocontá

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Location of the battle

The Battle of Chocontá was one of a series of battles in the ongoing conflict between the northern and southern Muisca of pre-Columbian central Colombia. The battle was fought c. 1490 in the vicinity of Chocontá. An army of 50,000 southern Muisca guecha warriors, led by their ruler, or zipa, Saguamanchica, attacked 60,000 northern Muisca troops commanded by Zaque Michuá, who was supported by the Cacique of Guatavita.

Background

Map of Muisca territories
Chocontá is located on the border of the *zipa*

In the decades before the Spanish conquistadors 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, copper, and emeralds.^[3]

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.^[2]

Battle

Pasca
~1470

Tocarema
1538

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Battle of Chocontá and other battles around the Bogotá savanna

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.^[1]^[2]

The battle was one of the first Muisca acts of war documented by the bishop and chronicler Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita.^[4]

Battle of Chocontá in Muisca history

History of the Muisca

Altiplano	Muisca	Art	Architecture	Astronomy	Cuisine	El Dorado	Subsistence	Women	Conquest

References

^ ^a ^b (in Spanish) Biography Saguamanchica – Pueblos Originarios
^ ^a ^b ^c (in Spanish) History of the Muisca – Banco de la República
^ (in Spanish) Muisca history; natural resources – Pueblos Originarios
^ (in Spanish) Adolfo Constenla Umaña, 1996 – Poesía Tradicional Indígena Costarricense (Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica)

Muisca

Topics

General	Agriculture Architecture Art Astronomy Calendar Cuisine Economy Mummification Music Muysccubun Mythology Numerals Religion Society Toponyms Warfare Women
Specific	Battle of Pasca (~1470) Battle of Chocontá (~1490) Chicha Duit Emeralds Muisca raft Ruana Tejo Tunjo Zoratama
The Salt People	Zipaquirá Nemocón Tausa Sesquilé

Geography and history

Altiplano
Cundiboyacense

Neighbouring areas

History

Prehistory (<10,000 BP)	Lake Humboldt El Abra Tibitó Sueva Tequendama
Lithic (10,000 - 2800 BP)	Piedras del Tunjo Checua Galindo Nemocón Sáchica Aguazuque Lake Herrera El Infiernito
Ceramic (>800 BC)	Herrera (800 BC - 800) Early Muisca (800 - 1200) Muisca Confederation (~1450 - 1540) Cabildo Mayor (>2002)

Religion and mythology

Deities

Sacred sites

Built	Sun Temple Moon Temple Cojines del Zaque Goranchacha Temple Hunzahúa Well
Natural	Fúquene Guasca Guatavita Iguaque Siecha Suesca Tota Ubaque Tequendama Falls

Mythology

Myths	El Dorado Monster of Lake Tota
Mythological figures	Goranchacha Idacansás Pacanchique Thomagata

Caciques and neighbours

Northern caciques

zaque of Hunza	Hunzahúa Michuá Quemuenchatocha Aquiminzaque
iraca of Suamox	Nompanim Sugamuxi
cacique of Tundama	Tundama

Southern caciques

zipa of Bacatá	Meicuchuca Saguamanchica Nemequene Tisquesusa Sagipa
cacique of Turmequé	Diego de Torres y Moyachoque

Neighbours

Chibcha-speaking	U'wa Sutagao Guane Lache
Arawak-speaking	Achagua Tegua Guayupe
Cariban-speaking	Panche Muzo Yarigui

Spanish conquest

Conquistadors

Major	Gonzalo de Quesada Hernán de Quesada Baltasar Maldonado Gonzalo Suárez Rendón Juan de Céspedes Juan de San Martín
Minor	Antonio Díaz de Cardoso Antonio de Lebrija Bartolomé Camacho Zambrano Gonzalo García Zorro Gonzalo Macías Hernán Venegas Carrillo Juan de Albarracín Juan del Junco Juan Tafur Lázaro Fonte Luis Lanchero Martín Galeano Martín Yañéz Tafur Miguel Holguín y Figueroa Ortún Velázquez de Velasco Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela Pedro Ruíz Corredor

Neighbouring conquests

Research and collections

Scholars	Acosta Acosta Samper De Aguado Arango Broadbent De Castellanos Celis Correal Duquesne Freyle Friede Gamboa Groot Hammen Humboldt Izquierdo Langebaek De Lugo Ocampo De Piedrahita De Quesada Reichel-Dolmatoff Schrimpff Simón Triana Uricoechea Zerda
Publications	Elegías (1589) El Carnero (1638) Epítome (1889)
Research institutes	ICANH Universidad Nacional Universidad de los Andes Universidad La Javeriana University of Pittsburgh UPTC
Collections	Museo del Oro Archaeology Museum of Sogamoso Archaeology Museum of Pasca Metropolitan Museum of Art

Category

Categories:

Hidden categories:

Background

Battle

Battle of Chocontá in Muisca history

See also

References