Tundama or Saymoso (15th century – late December 1539 in Duitama) was a ''

cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

'' of the

Muisca Confederation The Muisca Confederation was a loose confederation of different Muisca rulers (''zaques'', ''zipas'', ''iraca'', and ''tundama'') in the central Andes, Andean highlands of what is today Colombia before the Spanish conquest of the Americas, Spanis ...

, a loose confederation of different

rulers A ruler, sometimes called a rule, scale, line gauge, or metre/meter stick, is an instrument used to make length measurements, whereby a length is read from a series of markings called "rules" along an edge of the device. Usually, the inst ...

of the

Muisca The Muisca (also called the Chibcha) are indigenous peoples in Colombia and were a Pre-Columbian culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The Muisca spe ...

who inhabited the central highlands (

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. (Do not confuse with The Altiplano or the Altiplano Nariñense, both fur ...

) of the

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

. The city of Tundama, currently known as Duitama and part of the Tundama Province, Boyacá, were named after the ''cacique''. Tundama ruled over the northernmost territories of the Muisca, submitted last by the Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

es. Tundama was killed late December 1539 with a large hammer by Spanish

Baltasar Maldonado. His successor, ''Don Juan'' was killed shortly after, ending the reign of the Muisca in the

New Kingdom of Granada New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, the name for present-day Colombia and a part of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

in the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

. Knowledge about Tundama has been compiled by

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita.Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita about Tundama
/ref>

Background

In the time before the

Spanish conquest The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...

of central Colombia, there were several main rulers and several independent ''caciques'' who governed the Muisca. From south to north the '' psihipqua'' of Muyquytá, the '' hoa'' of Hunza, the '' iraca'' of

Sugamuxi Sugamuxi (died 1539) was the last '' iraca''; ''cacique'' of the sacred City of the Sun Suamox. Sugamuxi, presently called Sogamoso, was an important city in the religion of the Muisca who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the times be ...

and the psihipqua of Tundama were the ruling elites of the area. Duitama in those ages was a lake surrounded by hilltops. On the hill ''La Tolosa'' the tundama lived in a ''bohío'' (hut) ornamented with

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

en figures.

Biography

Tundama was the last ''cacique'' of Duitama and the ''caciques'' of Cerinza, Chitagoto, Icabuco, Lupacoche, Sátiva, Soatá and Susacón were loyal to him.Biography Cacique Tundama
- Pueblos Originarios When a new ''iraca'' for Sugamuxi had to be elected alternating between the ''caciques'' of Firavitoba and Tobasía, the ''cacique'' of Tundama intervened in case of conflict.Iraca rulers
- Pueblos Originarios

Spanish conquest and death

In 1536 the Spanish conquistadores led by Licentiate

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada y Rivera, also spelled as Ximénez and De Quezada, (; 1509 – 16 February 1579) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in northern South America, territories currently known as Colombia. He explored the territory n ...

set foot towards the interior of modern-day Colombia from

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

. looking for the beginning of the Magdalena River, and a land path ro Peru, and equipped with approximately 800 soldiers, an unknown number of native companions, black slaves, and dozens of horses they started their march to the Andes along the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River (, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, ...

. The Spanish troops arrived first in the southern Muisca territories, in the early March of 1537. From there they marched north and in August of that year they conquered Hunza, a capital of the northern Muisca. They were informed of the sacred

Iraka Valley The ''iraca'', sometimes spelled ''iraka'',Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.12, p.77Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.14, p.85 was the Muisca rulers, ruler and high priest of Sogamoso, Sugamuxi in the Muisca Confederation, confederation of the Muisca people, Muisc ...

around Sugamuxi and found the Sun Temple which soldiers of De Quesada burned by accident in September 1537. Saymoso got notice of the submission of the neighbouring indigenous groups, the Panche, Guane and others and told his guecha warriors not to bow for the Spanish invaders. When one of his warriors suggested surrender was the best option, Tundama cut off his ears and left hand.Biography Tundama
/ref> The ''cacique'' declared a "death war" against the Spanish and gathered an army of 10,000 guecha warriors. To keep the conquistadores away, he sent a delegation of his people with emeralds, gold and mantles to offer the Spanish with the promise that Tundama would surrender bringing eight more of these. Gaining time, Tundama hid his treasures and prepared the defence of Tundama. On December 15, 1539, captain Baltasar Maldonado, a companion of Jiménez de Quesada (who had already left for Europe, to give account in Spain), entered the territories of Tundama and offered him a peace proposal if he would surrender. Tundama, informed by the Spanish murders of ''psihipqua''

Tisquesusa Tisquesusa, also spelled Thisquesuza, Thysquesuca or Thisquesusha (referred to in the earliest sources as Bogotá, the Elder) (died Facatativá, 1537) was the fourth and last independent ruler ('' psihipqua'') of Muyquytá, main settlement of t ...

and ''hoa'' Eucaneme, did not accept and Maldonado attacked Tundama and his army on the island in Vargas Swamp, where 280 years later the Battle of Vargas Swamp by

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

would be fought.Battle of Vargas Swamp, 1819
/ref> Maldonado, enforced with 2000 yanakunas; natives from Peru and allied people from Muyquytá and Ramiriquí, was accompanied by the Muisca whose ears and hand had been cut off by Tundama. The Spanish conquistador with his weapons, cavalry and the inside knowledge of the earless Muisca killed 4000 guecha warriors of Tundama. Seeing this battle was fruitless, Tundama fled to Cerinza to ally with the ''cacique'' from there and prepared a new attack on the Spanish and indigenous troops, losing again. The ''caciques'' of northern Boyacá convinced Tundama to not fight anymore and Tundama surrendered to the Spanish troops. Maldonado demanded huge quantities of gold and emeralds to pay his loss to the Spanish. When handing over the valuables, Maldonado deemed the payments not enough and before the end of the year Maldonado killed Tundama with a large hammer.Animated video about Tundama
/ref> After Tundama was killed, according to the Muisca tradition of inheritance, his nephew ''Don Juan'' took over the role of ''cacique''. He was killed shortly after, ending the era of the Muisca in northern Boyacá. The last independent of the Muisca, Aquiminzaque, was killed by public decapitation by Hernán Pérez de Quesada in January 1540. Native caciques continued ruling their towns, working together with a Spanish encomendero.Public execution of Aquiminzaque in Tunja
-

Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

Tundama in Muisca history

References

External links