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Tisquesusa, also spelledThisquesuza,Thysquesuca orThisquesusha, referred to in the earliest sources asBogotá, the Elder, (diedFacatativá, 1537) was the fourth and last independent ruler (psihipqua) ofMuyquytá, main settlement of the southern Muisca between 1514 and his death in 1537. The Spanish pronunciation of his name brought about theColombian capital Bogotá. Tisquesusa was the ruler of the southernMuisca Confederation at the time of theSpanish conquest of the Muisca, when the troops led byGonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and hisbrother entered the central Andean highlands.
The name Tisquesusa originates from the workElegías de varones ilustres de Indias written by poetJuan de Castellanos decades after the events of the conquest. In his work he names Tisquesusa as thezipa. However, the origin of this name is unknown, andJorge Gamboa Mendoza, among others, maintains the name was originally "Bogotá". Later chroniclers, such asPedro Simón simply took the names from earlier sources without verifying them.[1]
Tisquesusa wascacique ofChía and following theMuisca heritage rules, he, as nephew of the previous rulerNemequene, succeeded his uncle in 1514. At the start of his reign, Tisquesusa fought against thePanche in the west of theMuisca Confederation. The brother of Tisquesusa and later -according to Muisca heritage rule illegal- successorSagipa was the general in the southern Muisca army. Early on in his reign, Tisquesusa went to war with the northern Muisca ruled by Quemuenchatocha. Forty thousandsguecha warriors of the southern Muisca fought against fifty thousand northern Muisca. Earlier, support of theiracaSugamuxi of the Iraca Valley helped the northern troops in their battles, but this time the third party helped in settling a truce between both parties which lasted until the arrival of theSpanish conquistadores in 1537.[2]
The arrival of the Spanish conquerors was revealed to Tisquesusa by themohan Popón, from the village ofUbaque. He told the Muisca ruler that foreigners were coming and Tisquesusa would die "bathing in his own blood".[3] When Tisquesusa was informed of the advancing invasion of the Spanish soldiers, he sent a spy toSuesca to find out more about their army strength, weapons and with how many warriors they could be beaten. Thepsihipqua left the capital Muyquytá and took shelter inNemocón which directed the Spanish troops to there, during this march attacked by more than 600 Muisca warriors.[4]
When Tisquesusa retreated to his fortified place inCajicá he allegedly told his men he would not be able to combat against the strong Spanish army in possession of weapons that produced "thunder and lightning". He chose to return to Bacatá and ordered the capital to be evacuated, resulting in an abandoned site when the Spanish arrived. In search for the Muisca ruler, the conquistadores went north to find Tisquesusa in the surroundings ofFacatativá where they attacked him at night.
Alonso Domínguez, one of De Quesada's soldiers, thrust his sword at Tisquesusa, but without knowing he was thezipa, he let him go after taking the expensive mantle of the ruler. Tisquesusa fled hurt into the mountains and died of his wounds there. His body was only discovered a year later because of theblack vultures circling over it.
At the death of Tisquesusa, his son Hama and daughter Machinza hid the sister of thepsihipqua, Usaca, in one of the settlements on the Bogotá savanna. When one of the conquistadors, Juan María Cortés, found out about this, he prepared a battle to gain control over the area. At that moment, Usaca appeared and resisted against the Spanish conqueror. Legend tells that he dropped his weapons and fell in love with her, eventually marrying the sister of Tisquesusa, and they were baptized inUsaquén, meaning "Land of the Sun" inMuysccubun. This formed the start of the construction of a colonial village, today part of the capital and known for its colonial architecture and parks.[5]
Contrary to Muisca tradition, where the eldest son of the oldest sister of the previous ruler would become the nextzipa, the reign was taken over by Tisquesusa's brother; his army generalSagipa. This would be the last ruler of the southern Muisca, defeated in 1538 and died of Spanish torture in early 1539.
Correa, François (2005), "El imperio muisca: invención de la historia y colonialidad del poder - The Muisca empire: invention of history and power colonialisation",Muiscas: representaciones, cartografías y etnopolíticas de la memoria (in Spanish),Universidad La Javeriana, pp. 201–226,ISBN958-683-643-6
Langebaek Rueda, Carl Henrik (2005),Muiscas: representaciones, cartografías y etnopolíticas de la memoria - The Muisca: representations, cartography and ethnopolitics (in Spanish),Universidad Javeriana, pp. 1–380,ISBN958-683-643-6
Langebaek Rueda, Carl Henrik; Bernal, Marcela; Aristizabal, Lucero; Corcione, María Antonieta; Rojas, Camilo; Santa, Tatiana (2011), "Condiciones de vida y jerarquías sociales en el norte de Suramérica: el caso de la población muisca en Tibanica, Soacha - Life conditions and social hierarchies in the north of South America: the case of the Muisca population in Tibanica, Soacha",Indiana (in Spanish),28, Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut Preußischer Kulturbesitz:15–34
Martínez Martín, Abel Fernando,Entre risas y llantos. Una mirada a las costumbres muiscas a través de los cronistas - Between laughter and cry. A look at the Muisca habits through the chroniclers (in Spanish), pp. 1–16
Salcedo Salcedo, Jaime (2011), "Un vestigio del cercado del señor de Bogotá en la traza de Santafe - A trace of the enclosure of the lord of Bogotá in the design of Santafe",Ensayos. Historia y teoría del arte (in Spanish),20,Universidad Nacional de Colombia:155–190
Trimborn, Hermann (2005), "La organización del poder público en las culturas soberanas de los chibchas - The public power organisation in the common cultures of the Chibchas",Muiscas: representaciones, cartografías y etnopolíticas de la memoria (in Spanish),Universidad La Javeriana, pp. 298–314,ISBN958-683-643-6
Londoño, Eduardo (1989),Santuarios, santillos, tunjos: objetos votivos de los Muiscas en el siglo XVI (in Spanish), pp. 92–120
Francis, John Michael (1993),"Muchas hipas, no minas" The Muiscas, a merchant society: Spanish misconceptions and demographic change (M.A.) (M.A.),University of Alberta, pp. 1–118
Correa Rubio, François (2005), "Sociedad y naturaleza en la mitología Muisca - Society and nature in the Muisca mythology",Tábula Rasa (in Spanish),5, Bogotá, Colombia:197–222,doi:10.25058/20112742.235,ISSN1794-2489
García Giraldo, Alfredo (2012) [1984],Érase una vez entre los chibchas - Once upon a time between the Muisca (in Spanish), Bogotá, Colombia: Panamericana Editorial, pp. 1–116,ISBN978-958-30-0298-4
Ocampo López, Javier (2007),Grandes culturas indígenas de América - Great indigenous cultures of the Americas (in Spanish), Bogotá, Colombia: Plaza & Janes Editores Colombia S.A., pp. 1–238,ISBN978-958-14-0368-4
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