The Chibcha Natives of Colombia

In 1536, Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada landed in what is now Colombia; there he discovered a peaceful and advanced civilization: the Chichbas.

By the time the Spanish arrived, the Chibchas had developed a system of government, irrigation, and salt and emerald mines. They had traveled down from modern-day Nicaragua around 400 BCE, taking refuge in the Andes above rival tribes.

The Chibchan religion was centered on a sun god. This god’s rival is the moon, but there is a full pantheon of other gods with human personalities. The Chibchas made offerings of gold, crops, and other goods to the sun god, who in return protected the nation from all invaders.

One Chibcha ceremony involved a shaman covering himself in gold dust. Many theorize that this ceremony gave rise to the European myth of El Dorado, the City of Gold.

Governmentally, the Chibcha nation was composed of “clans” with a central legislative body, with a representative.

Following the influx of the Spanish, the Chibchas dispersed throughout Latin America. Direct cultural descendants include the Cuna and Lenca tribes of Central America.