List of Muisca toponyms

The Muisca Confederation

This list contains the toponyms (place names) in Muisca, the language of the Muisca who inhabited the Colombian Altiplano Cundiboyacense before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca in the 1530s. The name of the language of the Muisca is called Chibcha, Muisca or, in its own language, Muysccubun. Muisca means "man" or "person".

Most names of the Muisca have been kept by the Spanish colonists, though some are slightly altered through time. A number of names refer to the farmfields (tá) or other geographical features of the region.^[1][2] The name of the department of Cundinamarca is an exception, it is inferred the name comes not from Chibcha, yet from Quechua, meaning condor's nest.^[3]

Chibcha language toponyms outside of the Muisca Confederation territories, such as the Guane, Lache, U'wa or Sutagao and Spanish language toponyms within the Muisca Confederation are not included.

Muisca toponyms

(Modern) name bold is capital	Department bold is capital	Ruler(s) bold is seat	Meaning(s) in Muysccubun bold is personal name	Notes	Map
Bogotá Bogotá Formation Bogotá River Bogotá savanna Bacatá BD Bacatá Muequetá	Cundinamarca	zipa	(Enclosure) outside of the farm fields	[2][4][5][6]
Tunja Hunza	Boyacá	zaque	Proud lord	[1]
Duitama Tundama Tundama Province	Boyacá	Tundama	Named after cacique Tundama	[1]
Sogamoso Suamox Sugamuxi Province	Boyacá	iraca	Dwelling of the Sun	[1]
Arcabuco	Boyacá	cacique	Place of the intricate scrublands Place enclosed by the hills	[1]
Betéitiva	Boyacá	cacique	Chief of the mouth Named after cacique Betacín	[1][7]
Boavita	Boyacá	cacique	Point on the hill worshipping the Sun Gate of the Sun	[1][8]
Boyacá Boyacá Department	Boyacá	zaque	Region of the blankets Enclosure of the cacique	[1][9]
Busbanzá	Boyacá	iraca	Named after cacique Boazá	[1]
Cerinza	Boyacá	Tundama	My throat Named after cacique Cerinza	[1]
Chinavita	Boyacá	zaque	Our point or illuminated hill top	[1][10]
Chiquinquirá Ubaté-Chiquinquirá Valley	Boyacá	cacique	Place of swamps covered with fog Also: Holy people, because of the Fúquene Lake ceremonies	[1]
Chíquiza	Boyacá	zaque	Only or alone, Chiqui means priest Hairy field	[1][11]
Chitagoto part of Paz de Río	Boyacá	Tundama	From cacique Chitagoto	[12]
Chitaraque	Boyacá	zaque	Our vigorous farmfields from before	[1][13]
Chivatá	Boyacá	zaque	Our outside farmfields	[1][14]
Chivor Chivor Mine	Boyacá	cacique	Our farmfields - our mother Green and rich land	[1]
Ciénega	Boyacá	zaque	Place of water	[1]
Cómbita	Boyacá	cacique	Force of the summit Hand of the jaguar and wheel of life	[1][15]
Covarachía	Boyacá	cacique	Land of the Sun and the Moon Cave of the Moon	[1][16]
Cucaita	Boyacá	zaque	Seminary enclosure Shade of the farming fields	[1][17]
Cuítiva	Boyacá	iraca	Similarity to the chief	[1]
Firavitoba	Boyacá	iraca	Named after cacique Firavia	[1]
Gachantivá	Boyacá	zaque	Chief of the Gacha	[1][18]
Gámeza	Boyacá	iraca	Serf of the Sun	[1]
Garagoa	Boyacá	zaque	Behind the hill On the other side of the hill	[1]
Guateque Guatoc	Boyacá	cacique	Stream of the ravine Lord of the winds	[1][19]
Guayatá	Boyacá	cacique	Domain of the female cacique From Guaya (creek in Tenza) and "tá" (farmfields or land over there)	[1][20]
Iza Iza—Paipa volcanic complex	Boyacá	iraca	Place of healing	[1]
Lengupá Province Lengupá River	Boyacá	zaque	"Len": site; "Gua": of the river; "Paba": father or chief	[21]
Macanal Macanal Formation	Boyacá	zaque	From: Macana: palm tree or garrote	[1][22]
Mongua	Boyacá	iraca	Bath on the hill Sunrise	[1]
Moniquirá Moniquirá River	Boyacá	cacique	Place of bath	[1]
Motavita	Boyacá	zaque	Washing place to prepare for growing crops	[23]
Nobsa	Boyacá	Tundama	Decent bath of today	[1]
Oicatá	Boyacá	zaque	Domain of the priests Hailstoned farmlands	[1]
Pachavita	Boyacá	zaque	Peak of the man Proud chief	[1][24]
Paipa Iza—Paipa volcanic complex	Boyacá	Tundama	Named after the cacique of the Paipa people	[1]
Paya	Boyacá	cacique	People of hope	[1]
Pesca	Boyacá	iraca	Strong enclosure Domain of the fortress	[1]
Pisba PNN Pisba	Boyacá	cacique	Honourable domain from before	[1]
Ramiriquí Ramaraquí	Boyacá	zaque	White earth Ca-Mi-Quiqui	[1]
Ráquira	Boyacá	cacique	Village of the pans	[1]
Saboyá	Boyacá	cacique	Taste for the blankets Named after cacique Saboyá	[1]
Sáchica	Boyacá	zaque	our present domain fortress or mansion of the sovereign	[1][25]
San Miguel de Sema	Boyacá	zaque	Named after the Sema tribe, part of the Muisca	[1][26]
Sativanorte	Boyacá	Tundama	Named after the cacique Sátiva	[1]
Sativasur	Boyacá	Tundama	Named after the cacique Sátiva	[1]
Siachoque	Boyacá	zaque	Land of the vigorous taste Place of good smells and strong and vigorous cultures	[1][27]
Soatá	Boyacá	Tundama	Farmfields of the Sun	[1]
Socotá	Boyacá	iraca Tundama	Good harvest Land of the Sun and farmfields	[1][28]
Somondoco	Boyacá	zaque	So = stone, Mon = bath, Co = support Named after cacique Somendoco or Sumindoco	[1][29]
Sora	Boyacá	zaque	Devil worshipper	[1]
Soracá	Boyacá	zaque	Ruling mansion of the sovereign	[1]
Sotaquirá	Boyacá	zaque	Town of the sovereign	[1]
Susacón	Boyacá	Tundama	Ally of the cacique Susa	[1]
Sutamarchán	Boyacá	zaque	Merchant of the sovereign Suta Marchán refers to 18th century encomendero Pedro Merchan de Velasco	[1][30]
Sutatenza	Boyacá	zaque	Cloud behind the mouth Descending to the house of the cacique	[1][31]
Tenza Tenza Valley Tanazuca	Boyacá	cacique	Behind the mouth Going down at night	[1]
Tibaná	Boyacá	zaque	Named after Tibanaes "Tiba" means chief	[1][32]
Tibasosa	Boyacá	Tundama iraca	Chief of the domain	[1]
Tinjacá	Boyacá	zaque	Enclosure of the powerful lord	[1][33]
Tipacoque	Boyacá	zaque	Name of the hacienda of the Augustines Dependency of the zaque	[1][34]
Toca	Boyacá	iraca	Domain of the river	[1]
Togüí	Boyacá	zaque	River of the wife or house of the dog	[1][35]
Tópaga	Boyacá	cacique	Behind father river	[1]
Tota Lake Tota	Boyacá	iraca	Farmfields of the river	[1]
Turmequé	Boyacá	zaque	Vigorous chief	[1]
Tuta	Boyacá	zaque	Borrowed farmlands or Property of the Sun Named after the Tuta tribe	[1][36]
Tutazá	Boyacá	cacique	Named after cacique Tutazúa; son of the Sun	[1]
Úmbita	Boyacá	cacique	Your point, your summit, summit of the farmlands	[1]
Viracachá	Boyacá	zaque	Air of the lake or lord of the enclosure of the wind	[1][37]
Zetaquira	Boyacá	zaque	Land of the snake or City of the snake	[1][38]
Bojacá Bojacá River	Cundinamarca	zipa	Purple enclosure	[3][39]
Cajicá	Cundinamarca	zipa	From ca and jica; "stone fortress" From the cacique Cajic	[40][41] [40]
Cáqueza	Cundinamarca	zipa	Region or enclosure without forest	[42]
Chía Chía Formation	Cundinamarca	zipa	Named after Chía, Moon goddess	[43]
Chipaque Chipaque Formation	Cundinamarca	cacique	Derived from Chipapabacue; Forest of our ancestors	[44]
Choachí	Cundinamarca	zipa	Derived from Chi-gua-chí; our mountain of the Moon	[45]
Chocontá	Cundinamarca	zipa	Farmlands of the good ally	[46]
Cogua	Cundinamarca	zipa	Support of the hill	[47]
Cota	Cundinamarca	zipa	From personal name Gota or cota; "curl"	[48]
Cucunubá	Cundinamarca	zipa	Similarity to a face	[3][49]
Facatativá	Cundinamarca	zipa	Strong enclosure at the end of the plains	[50]
Funza Funza River	Cundinamarca	zipa	Powerful lord	[51]
Fúquene Lake Fúquene	Cundinamarca	zipa zaque	From fú and quyny; bed of the fox Named after the god Fu; bed of Fu	[52]
Gachancipá	Cundinamarca	zipa	Pottery of the zipa	[53]
Gachalá	Cundinamarca	cacique	Clay vessel or defeat of the night	[54]
Gachetá Gachetá Formation	Cundinamarca	cacique	Behind our farmfields	[55]
Gama	Cundinamarca	cacique	Our back	[56]
Guachetá	Cundinamarca	cacique	Farmlands of the hill	[57]
Guasca	Cundinamarca	zipa	From guâ and shucâ; skirt of the mountain range	[58]
Guatavita Lake Guatavita	Cundinamarca	cacique	End of the farmlands	[59]
Lenguazaque	Cundinamarca	zaque	End of the reign of the zaque	[60]
Machetá	Cundinamarca	zaque	Your honourable farmfields	[61][62]
Manta	Cundinamarca	cacique	Your farmfields	[63]
Nemocón	Cundinamarca	zipa	From Enemocón; sadness of the warrior Named after Nemequene	[63][64]
Pacho Guataque or Gotaque	Cundinamarca	zipa	Good father "Gua" = mountain, "tha"; strong and "que"; elevated; strong elevated mountain	[63][65]
Pasca	Cundinamarca	zipa	Father's enclosure	[66]
Quetame	Cundinamarca	cacique	Our farmfields of the mountain	[67]
Sesquilé	Cundinamarca	zipa	Hot water	[68]
Sibaté	Cundinamarca	zipa	Leak of the lake	[69]
Simijaca Simijaca Formation	Cundinamarca	zaque (<1490) zipa (1490-1537)	Blue circle or nose of the white owl	[70]
Soacha Soacha Province Soacha River	Cundinamarca	zipa	Súa; Sun god Sué and chá; Man of the Sun	[71]
Sopó	Cundinamarca	zipa	Rock or strong hill	[72]
Subachoque Subachoque River Subachoque Formation	Cundinamarca	zipa	Work of the Sun Farmfields of the front	[73]
Suesca Lake Suesca	Cundinamarca	zipa	Rock of the birds or Tail of the macaw	[74][75]
Susa	Cundinamarca	zaque (<1490) zipa (1490-1537)	White reed or soft reed	[76]
Sutatausa	Cundinamarca	zipa	Small tribute	[77]
Tabio	Cundinamarca	zipa	Mouth [of the river]	[78]
Tausa	Cundinamarca	zipa	Tribute	[79]
Tena Zuca	Cundinamarca	zipa	Place of rest for the zipa	[80]
Tenjo	Cundinamarca	zipa	In the mouth	[81]
Tequendama Tequendama Falls Tequendama Province	Cundinamarca	zipa	He who precipitates downward	[82]
Tibacuy	Cundinamarca	zipa Panche	Official chief	[83]
Tibiritá	Cundinamarca	zaque
Tocancipá	Cundinamarca	zipa	Valley of the joys of the zipa	[84]
Ubalá	Cundinamarca	cacique	Place on the hillside or At the foot of the hillside	[85]
Ubaque	Cundinamarca	cacique	From Ybaque; blooding Eucalyptus tree or from Ebaque	[86]
Ubaté Ubaté Province Ubaté River Ubaté-Chiquinquirá Valley	Cundinamarca	zaque (<1490) zipa (1490-1537)	Sower of the mouth or blooded land	[87]
Une Une Formation	Cundinamarca	cacique	Drop it or mud	[88][89]
Zipacón	Cundinamarca	zipa	Crying of the zipa	[90]
Zipaquirá	Cundinamarca	zipa	City of our father	[37]
Charalá	Santander	cacique	Named after the Guane cacique Chalala	[91]
Chipatá	Santander	cacique	"chi" = our, "pa" = father, "tá" = farmland Named after cacique Chipatá	[92][93]
Onzaga	Santander	Tundama	From cacique Hunzaá	[94]
Bosa	Cundinamarca	zipa	Enclosure of the one who guards and defends the cornfields	[95]
Engativá	Cundinamarca	zipa	From Ingativá; Cacique of the land of the Sun Engue-tivá; captain of the delicious [people]	[95]
Fontibón	Cundinamarca	zipa	Powerful chief	[95][96]
Suba	Cundinamarca	zipa	From "sua"; Sun and "sie"; water From "uba"; fruit or flower and "sua"; Sun; Flower of the Sun	[95][97]
Teusaquillo	Cundinamarca	zipa	From Teusacá; borrowed enclosure	[95]
Tunjuelito Tunjuelo Formation Tunjuelo River	Cundinamarca	zipa	Diminutive form of tunjo; anthropomorph made of gold	[98]
Usaquén	Cundinamarca	zipa	From cacique Usaque; Usaque means "under the pole"	[99]
Usme Usme Formation	Cundinamarca	zipa	Nest of love	[100]
El Chicó	Cundinamarca	zipa	Chicó comes from chicú; "our ally"	[101]
Techo	Cundinamarca	zipa	From cacique Techitina	[102]
Chingaza	Cundinamarca	zipa Guayupe	Middle of the width	[103]
Siecha Lakes	Cundinamarca	zipa	House of the Lord	[104]
Tibabuyes	Cundinamarca	zipa	Land of the farmers	[105]
Maiporé	Cundinamarca	zipa	Welcome	[106]

See also

• List of flora and fauna named after the Muisca
• Muisca Confederation
• Muysccubun
• List of placenames of indigenous origin in the Americas

References

Bibliography

• Espejo Olaya, Maria Bernarda. 1999. Notas sobre toponimia en algunas coplas colombianas, 1102-1157. Tomo LIV, Núm. 3.; Accessed 2016-07-08.
• Ocampo López, Javier. 2001. El imaginario en Boyacá: la identidad del pueblo boyacense y su proyección en la simbología regional (Volume 2: El imaginario colectivo en los pensadores boyacenses), 1-157. Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas.
• Román, Ángel Luís. 2008. Necesidades fundacionales e historia indígena imaginada de Cajicá: una revisión de esta mirada a través de fuentes primarias (1593-1638) - Foundational needs and imagined indigenous history of Cajicá: a review of this look using primary sources (1593-1638), 276-313. Universidad de los Andes. Accessed 2016-07-08.

External links

• (in Spanish) El significado del nombre Boyacá y sus pueblos

Muisca
Topics General Agriculture Architecture Art Astronomy Calendar Cuisine Economy Mummification Music Muysccubun Mythology Numerals Religion Society Toponyms Warfare Women Specific Battle of Pasca (~1470) Battle of Chocontá (~1490) Chicha Duit Emeralds Muisca raft Ruana Tejo Tunjo Zoratama The Salt People Zipaquirá Nemocón Tausa Sesquilé
Geography and history Altiplano Cundiboyacense Bogotá River Frío Fucha Juan Amarillo Soacha Teusacá Torca Tunjuelo Bogotá savanna Suba Hills Wetlands Eastern Hills Flora & fauna Suárez River Ubaté-Chiquinquirá Valley Neighbouring areas Ocetá Páramo Tenza Valley History Prehistory (<10,000 BP) Lake Humboldt El Abra Tibitó Sueva Tequendama Lithic (10,000 - 2800 BP) Piedras del Tunjo Checua Galindo Nemocón Sáchica Aguazuque Lake Herrera El Infiernito Ceramic (>800 BC) Herrera (800 BC - 800) Early Muisca (800 - 1200) Muisca Confederation (~1450 - 1540) Cabildo Mayor (>2002)
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Caciques and neighbours Northern caciques zaque of Hunza Hunzahúa Michuá Quemuenchatocha Aquiminzaque iraca of Suamox Nompanim Sugamuxi cacique of Tundama  Tundama Southern caciques zipa of Bacatá Meicuchuca Saguamanchica Nemequene Tisquesusa Sagipa cacique of Turmequé Diego de Torres y Moyachoque Neighbours Chibcha-speaking U'wa Sutagao Guane Lache Arawak-speaking Achagua Tegua Guayupe Cariban-speaking Panche Muzo Yarigui
Spanish conquest Conquistadors Major Gonzalo de Quesada Hernán de Quesada Baltasar Maldonado Gonzalo Suárez Rendón Juan de Céspedes Juan de San Martín Minor Antonio Díaz de Cardoso Antonio de Lebrija Bartolomé Camacho Zambrano Gonzalo García Zorro Gonzalo Macías Hernán Venegas Carrillo Juan de Albarracín Juan del Junco Juan Tafur Lázaro Fonte Luis Lanchero Martín Galeano Martín Yañéz Tafur Miguel Holguín y Figueroa Ortún Velázquez de Velasco Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela Pedro Ruíz Corredor Neighbouring conquests Conquest of the Chibchan Nations Conquest of the Muzo Conquest of the Panche Battle of Tocarema (1538)
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