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{{Short description|Tribal rulers in pre-Spanish Colombia}}File:ConfederaciónMuisca.png|right|thumb|250px|Map of the Muisca territory;Showing Zaque, Zipa, and Independent territories ]]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 northern area and based in Hunza, known today as Tunja.BOOK, Bushnell, David, David Bushnell (historian), Colombia: Una nación a pesar de sí misma, 2012, Planeta Group, Planeta, Bogotá, Colombia, 978-958-42-1729-5, 26–27, es,

Organization

Psihipqua and hoa were the titles given to these rulers of the ancient confederation. Neither exercised absolute power, not rigid or strict control over those to whom they owed their power, so that they can be considered kings. However, these positions of power were of great honor and were surrounded by a rather elaborate ceremony. The position of the psihipqua was such that not even the members of the nobility dared to look him in the face, and it is said if the psihipqua needed to spit, someone would hold out a piece of rich cloth for him to spit on, because it would be sacrilegious for anything so precious as his saliva to touch the ground. Whoever held the cloth (all the while carefully looking the other way) then carried it off to be reverently disposed of.The psihipqua was also given the responsibility of offering gold to the gods. He would cover himself with gold and float out on a royal barge to the middle of the sacred Lake Guatavita, where he would offer up golden trinkets. This is widely believed to be how the legend of El Dorado started.When Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada arrived in the Muisca territories the ruling psihipqua was Bogotá and the hoa was Eucaneme.

Non-patrilineal heritage of rule

The position of the ruler was inherited, but the line of succession was not patrilineal. Instead, the king was succeeded by his nephew, the oldest son of his oldest sister. There were exceptions, and the ruler’s subjects, apparently, had some say in the matter, if only to confirm the successor in his post.

Zaque {| classwikitable style@float:center;”

! colspan=5 | Muisca rulers of Hunza (hoas)! Image! Name! Start! End! Details

60px|center)| Hunzahúa| ?| 1470	Tunja>Hunza, now Tunja

60px|center)| Michuá| 1470| 1490| Died in the Battle of Chocontá

60px|center)| Quemuenchatocha| 1490| 1537	Spanish colonization of the Americas>Spanish arrived in modern-day Colombia

60px|center)| Aquiminzaque| 1537| 1539| Last Muisca ruler

Zipa {| classwikitable style@float:center;”

! colspan=5 | Muisca rulers of Bacatá (zipas)! Image! Name! Start! End! Details

60px|center)| Meicuchuca| 1450| 1470| According to legend slept with a snake

60px|center)| Saguamanchica| 1470| 1490| Died in the Battle of Chocontá

60px|center)| Nemequene| 1490| 1514	Nemequene#Code of Nemequene>Nemequene Code

60px|center)| Tisquesusa| 1514| 1537	Spanish colonization of the Americas>Spanish arrived in Colombia

60px|center)| Sagipa| 1537| 1539| Last southern Muisca ruler

Other rulers {| classwikitable style@float:center;”

! colspan=5 | Muisca rulers of Tundama, Sugamuxi and Turmequé! Image! Name! Start! End! Details| | Tundama| | -1539

Duitama>Tundama

60px|center)| Sugamuxi| | -1539	iraca of Sogamoso>Sugamuxi

| | Nompanim| | | Second-last iraca of Sugamuxi| | Diego de Torres y Moyachoque| 1571| 1590| Mestizocacique of Turmequé{{clearboth}}

See also

• Spanish conquest of the Muisca
• Muisca
• Muisca Confederation

References

{{reflist}}{{Muisca topics|state=expanded}}