The
Muisca are the
Chibcha-speaking people that formed the
Muiscan Confederation of the central highlands of present-day
Colombia's
Eastern Range. They were encountered by the
Spanish Empire in 1537, at the time of the conquest. Subgroupings of the Muisca were mostly identified by their allegiances to three great rulers: the
Zaque, centered in
Chunza, ruling a territory roughly covering modern southern and northeastern
Boyacá and southern
Santander; the
Zipa, centered in
Bacatá, and encompassing most of modern
Cundinamarca, the western
Llanos and northeastern
Tolima; and the
Iraca, ruler of
Suamox and modern northeastern Boyacá and southwestern Santander.