Chibcha

views updated May 23 2018

Chibcha (Muisca) Late prehistoric culture in South America. Bogotá and Tunja were the main centres. The Chibcha culture flourished between 1000 and 1541, and rivalled the Inca in political sophistication. The inhabitants, c.750,000, developed remarkable city-states. Their pottery, weaving and goldsmithing were inferior to Inca work. The Chibcha were conquered by the Spanish (1536–41). In modern times, Chibcha refers to a Native American language family, whose speakers inhabit s Panama and n Colombia.