Before Bogotá existed, the Muisca people ruled a powerful territory called Bacatá

Countries & Cities · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Long before the Spanish arrived, the Bogotá savanna was the seat of the zipa, the ruler of the Muisca Confederation. Known as Bacatá, this region was a hub of gold-working, salt-trading, and complex mythology. Today, its name survives in modern landmarks, even as the original settlement's history remains deeply contested.

Bacatá, also known as Muyquytá or Muequetá, was the primary settlement of the Muisca people on the high-altitude Bogotá savanna. The name itself, derived from Chibcha, translates to an enclosure outside the farmfields, reflecting the fertile agricultural landscape of the Sabana Formation. As the seat of the zipa, Bacatá functioned as the heart of a sophisticated indigenous society that thrived through precise archaeoastronomical knowledge, advanced agriculture, and a robust economy built on salt mining and the trade of gold, emeralds, and coca.

The Muisca were renowned for their gold-working, particularly the creation of votive figurines called tunjos. Their religious life was deeply connected to the landscape, with sacred lakes like Guatavita serving as the site for initiation rituals that inspired the legend of El Dorado. While Spanish chroniclers later described the Muisca as a strictly hierarchical empire, modern researchers like Jorge Gamboa Mendoza suggest this was a retrospective invention. Instead, the region was likely a loose collection of diverse groups rather than a centralized state.

The arrival of Spanish conquistadors in 1537 marked the end of indigenous rule. The last zipa, Tisquesusa, died after a prophecy predicted he would perish bathing in his own blood. His successor, Sagipa, was tortured to death by the Spanish in 1539 while being pressured to reveal hidden treasures. Although the Spanish founded Santafe de Bogotá on the site, the legacy of Bacatá persists today in the names of Colombia's tallest skyscraper, fossil discoveries, and the enduring cultural memory of the people who shaped the Altiplano Cundiboyacense for centuries.

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