The Battle of Pasca was fought between the southern Muisca Confederation, led by their

zipa When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Muyquytá. The ''hoa'' was the ruler of the ...

(ruler), Saguamanchica, and an alliance between the Panche and the Sutagao, led by the '' Cacique'' of

Fusagasugá Fusagasugá (; ) or Fusa is a town and municipality in the department of Cundinamarca, in central Colombia. It is located in the warm valley between the rivers Cuja and Panches, a central region of the Andes Mountains in South America. The mun ...

. The battle took place 1470 in the vicinity of

Pasca Pasca is a town and municipality in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia located in the Andes. It belongs to the Sumapaz Province. Pasca is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at a distance of from the capital Bogotá. It borders F ...

, in modern-day Cundinamarca, Colombia, and resulted in a victory for Saguamanchica.

Background

Before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca the central highlands of the Colombian

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

(the

Altiplano Cundiboyacense The Altiplano Cundiboyacense () is a high plateau located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes covering parts of the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca. The Alt ...

) were inhabited by a number of

indigenous groups Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. The most numerous were the

Muisca The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan langu ...

, who lived in the central valleys of the

eastern ranges The Eastern Ranges is an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition. The club is a founding member of the competition (1992) and has produced several players for the Australian Football Leag ...

. The leader of the southern Muisca at the time was the freshly installed Saguamanchica, successor to his uncle

Meicuchuca Meicuchuca (died 1470) was the first ruler (''zipa'') of Bacatá, as of around 1450. His ''zaque'' counterpart ruling over the northern area of the Muisca territory was Hunzahúa. Biography Little is known about Meicuchuca and many stories abou ...

. Their neighbours to the northwest were the

Muzo Muzo () is a town and municipality in the Western Boyacá Province, part of the department of Boyacá, Colombia. It is widely known as the world capital of emeralds for the mines containing the world's highest quality gems of this type. Muzo ...

; south of them were the Muisca's traditional enemy the Panche; occupying the southeastern part of present-day Cundinamarca were the Sutagao.Biography Saguamanchica
– Pueblos Originarios

Battle

Shortly after taking power in 1470 Saguamanchica decided to attempt to conquer the Sutagao. He sent an advance force to reconnoiter the area and followed from Bacatá with an army of around 30,000 ''guecha'' warriors. The Sutagao hid in the hills around the Pasca River, together with a number of their Panche allies, but Saguamanchica brought them to battle. After a struggle lasting 12 hours the Muisca captured Uzatama, an important ''cacique'' (leader) of the Sutagao, causing the Sutagao and Panche to rout.De Piedrahita, 1688, p.31 The Cacique of Tibacuy then negotiated the submission of the Sutagao to Saguamanchica.

Aftermath

Some twenty years later Saguamanchica fought another major battle; this time against the northern Muisca led by ''

Zaque When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Muyquytá. The ''hoa'' was the ruler of the ...

'' Michuá: the Battle of Chocontá. Both Muisca rulers died in this battle.De Piedrahita, 1688, p.32

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pasca 15th century in Colombia Military history of Latin America History of the Muisca Cundinamarca Department Pre-Columbian warfare

Conflicts in 1470

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References

Bibliography