Bacatá

Long ago, a place called Bacatá was a big home.

It was a land with many farms. The name means the edge of the farms. A leader called a zipa ruled this area.

The people were great at trading salt. They used salt for food and spice. Later, new people arrived from far away. They changed how the land was ruled.

Today, the name Bacatá is still used. It is a very special name for this place.

Long ago, many people lived on the Bogotá savanna. They were called the Muisca.

One main area was called Bacatá. The name means "outside the farmfields." This was because the land was great for farming.

The Muisca had a leader called a zipa. The zipa ruled the southern part of the land.

One leader was named Nemequene. He made a set of laws for his people. The Muisca were also known as "The Salt People." This is because the women made salt from water. They used salt to trade for gold and emeralds.

The Muisca had many sacred places. Lake Guatavita was very important to them.

A new zipa would jump into the lake on a raft. He would cover himself in gold dust during a ritual.

In 1537, Spanish explorers arrived. They were led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.

The last free zipa was named Tisquesusa. He died during the fight with the Spanish. His brother, Sagipa, became the last zipa under Spanish rule. The name Bacatá lives on today in a big building in Colombia.

Bacatá was a major settlement for the Muisca people.

It sat on the large Bogotá savanna in the Colombian Andes. The name comes from the Chibcha language. It combines words meaning "enclosure," "outside," and "farmfield." This means the area was the limit of the farmfields. The land was very fertile because of rich soils.

These soils helped the Muisca grow many crops. This place was the main seat for the zipa. The zipa was the powerful ruler of this region.

The Muisca lived in a group called the Muisca Confederation.

This was a collection of many small settlements. Each settlement had its own local leader called a cacique. The zipa ruled over many of these villages. Some villages included places like Zipaquirá and Nemocón. The Muisca were also very famous for their salt.

Women heated salty water in large pots over fires. This process allowed them to collect salt for trade. Because of this, people called them "The Salt People."

Religion and trade were very important to the Muisca.

They traded salt for items like gold and emeralds. They also made beautiful gold figures called tunjos. These figures were used in religious rituals. The Muisca worshipped the Sun, named Sué, and the Moon, named Chía.

They also believed in a deity named Bochica. Many lakes and rivers were seen as sacred. Lake Guatavita was one of the most important sites. A new zipa would perform a ritual there. He would cover himself in gold dust and jump from a raft.

History shows many different leaders ruled Bacatá over time.

Meicuchuca was a zipa who ruled around 1450. Later, Saguamanchica fought a war in 1490. He was followed by Nemequene, who created a strict code of laws. Around 1514, Tisquesusa became the leader.

In March 1537, Spanish explorers arrived in the area. They were led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. The Muisca were surprised by the Spanish horses and dogs. This arrival changed the history of the Muisca forever.

The Spanish conquest happened quickly in the year 1537.

On April 20, 1537, the Spanish took control of the area. They founded the village of Funza in the same place. The last independent zipa was Tisquesusa. He died after being stabbed by a Spanish soldier. His brother, Sagipa, became the last zipa under Spanish rule. The name Bacatá still lives on in Colombia today. It is the name of a very tall skyscraper called BD Bacatá. It is also found in the name of a fossil called Etayoa bacatensis.

Bacatá was the primary settlement for one of the Muisca Confederations. It was located on the fertile Bogotá savanna in the Colombian Andes. The name comes from the Chibcha language, which the indigenous Muisca people spoke. It is a combination of words meaning "enclosure," "outside," and "farmfield." This means the name translates to "enclosure outside the farmfields" or "limit of the farmfields." This name refers to the rich agricultural lands of the Sabana Formation.

The area has been inhabited for a very long time. The first evidence of human settlement dates back 12,500 years to the Latest Pleistocene. Early humans lived in rock shelters like El Abra and Tibitó. During this time, the climate was a páramo paleoclimate. Huge animals, known as Pleistocene megafauna, lived on the savanna. These included the extinct gomphothere Cuvieronius.

Early humans hunted these animals for food.

As the climate changed during the early Holocene, people moved to open areas. They built circular living spaces using the bones and skin of white-tailed deer. Agriculture eventually arrived, likely brought by migrants from Peru or Central America. The earliest evidence of farming was found in Zipacón about 2,800 years ago. The Muisca people later developed a complex society with advanced farming and astronomy. They were also known as "The Salt People" because they mined salt from brines.

Muisca women heated salty water in large pots over fires to collect it.

The Muisca lived in a group called the Muisca Confederation. This was a collection of many small settlements led by local leaders called caciques. The area was divided into main regions. One of the most important was the territory of the zipa of Bacatá. The zipa was the ruler of the Bogotá savanna and nearby areas. Many villages, such as Zipaquirá and Nemocón, were part of the zipa's rule.

Religion was a central part of Muisca life. They worshipped deities like Sué, the Sun, and Chía, the Moon. They also believed in Bochica, a deity who helped manage the Bogotá River. Many lakes and rivers were considered sacred products of their gods. Lake Guatavita was a very important circular lake. During the initiation of a new zipa, the leader would cover himself in gold dust. He would then jump into the cold lake water from a raft.

Several notable leaders ruled the Bacatá region before the Spanish arrived. Meicuchuca was a zipa who ruled around 1450. He was followed by his nephew, Saguamanchica, who fought wars against other leaders. After him came Nemequene, who ruled around 1514. Nemequene created the Nemequene Code, which was a strict set of laws. Later, Tisquesusa became the zipa. His reign ended when Spanish explorers arrived in March 1537.

The Spanish conquest changed the region forever. A group of conquistadors led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada arrived in the north. The Muisca were frightened by the Spanish horses and hunting dogs. On April 20, 1537, the Spanish took control of Muyquytá. They founded the village of Funza in the same area. The last independent zipa was Tisquesusa, who died after being stabbed by a soldier.

His brother, Sagipa, became the last zipa under Spanish rule.

The legacy of Bacatá continues in modern Colombia. The name of the capital city, Bogotá, is derived from Bacatá. Even though the city was founded as Santafe de Bogotá in 1538, the connection remains. The name is also used for the BD Bacatá, the tallest skyscraper in Colombia. In science, the name lives on in the fossil Etayoa bacatensis. This fossil was found in the Bogotá Formation.