Tundama

Tundama
cacique
Reign	until 1539
Predecessor	unknown
Successor	Don Juan
Born	15th century Muisca Confederation
Died	end of December 1539 Duitama, New Kingdom of Granada

Tundama (15th century - Duitama, late December 1539) was a cacique of the Muisca Confederation, a loose confederation of different rulers of the Muisca who inhabited the central highlands (Altiplano Cundiboyacense) of the Colombian Andes. The city of Tundama, currently known as Duitama and part of the Tundama Province, Boyacá, were named after the cacique. Tundama ruled over the northernmost territories of the Muisca, submitted last by the Spanish conquistadores.

Tundama was killed late December 1539 with a large hammer by Spanish conquistador Baltasar Maldonado. His successor, Don Juan was killed shortly after, ending the reign of the Muisca in the New Kingdom of Granada, the name for present-day Colombia and Venezuela in the Spanish Empire.

Knowledge about Tundama has been compiled by scholar Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita.

In the time before the Spanish conquest of central Colombia, there were four main rulers and several independent caciques who governed the Muisca. From south to north the zipa of Bacatá, the zaque of Hunza, the iraca of Sugamuxi and the cacique of Tundama were the ruling elites of the area. Duitama in those ages was a lake surrounded by hilltops. On the hill La Tolosa the tundama lived in a bohío ornamented with golden figures.

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Wikipedia