﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  CHIBCHA 
  — 
  KROEBER 
  889 
  

  

  mocha, 
  Rivers. 
  These 
  head 
  together 
  and 
  flow 
  in 
  opposite 
  directions 
  

   between 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  fourth, 
  or 
  easternmost, 
  Cordillera. 
  The 
  

   Funza-Bogota 
  River 
  runs 
  south-southwest 
  and 
  southwest, 
  its 
  lower 
  

   course, 
  beyond 
  the 
  falls 
  of 
  Tequendama, 
  being 
  in 
  Panche 
  instead 
  of 
  

   Chibcha 
  possession. 
  The 
  Chicamocha 
  runs 
  north-northeast, 
  then 
  due 
  

   east, 
  then 
  successively 
  north, 
  northwest, 
  and 
  west, 
  until, 
  uniting 
  with 
  

   the 
  north-flowing 
  Suarez 
  River, 
  it 
  passes 
  out 
  of 
  Chibcha 
  territory 
  on 
  

   its 
  northwest 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  Magdalena 
  River. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  upper 
  valleys 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  rivers 
  were 
  the 
  capitals 
  and 
  sacred 
  

   sites 
  of 
  the 
  leading 
  Chibcha 
  states 
  (map 
  9). 
  The 
  southern 
  and 
  larger 
  

   of 
  these 
  states 
  was 
  ruled 
  by 
  the 
  Zipa, 
  the 
  northern 
  by 
  the 
  Zaque. 
  

   (Sipa 
  and 
  Sake 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  orthographic 
  as 
  against 
  the 
  Spanish 
  ren- 
  

   dition.) 
  Beyond 
  the 
  Zaque's 
  realm 
  was 
  a 
  smaller 
  one, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Iraca, 
  who 
  is 
  sometimes 
  reported 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  a 
  high-priest 
  rather 
  

   than 
  as 
  a 
  ruler. 
  

  

  The 
  leading 
  population 
  centers 
  also 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  situated 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  two 
  drainages, 
  mostly 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  2,600 
  to 
  2,700 
  m. 
  

   (about 
  8,500 
  to 
  8,800 
  ft.), 
  and 
  rarely 
  varying 
  more 
  than 
  300 
  feet 
  

   (100 
  m.) 
  from 
  this 
  range. 
  Thus, 
  ascending 
  the 
  Bogota: 
  

  

  Soacha, 
  2,520 
  m. 
  (8,267 
  ft.). 
  

  

  Bosa 
  and 
  Usme, 
  probably 
  higher, 
  up 
  a 
  southern 
  tributary. 
  

  

  Modern 
  Bogota, 
  ancient 
  Teusaquillo, 
  2,640 
  m. 
  (8,661 
  ft.). 
  

  

  Old 
  Bacata 
  or 
  Muequeta, 
  across 
  the 
  river, 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  elevation; 
  now 
  Funza. 
  

  

  Facatativa, 
  2,641 
  m. 
  (8,664 
  ft.), 
  on 
  a 
  tributary 
  from 
  the 
  west. 
  

  

  Funza, 
  2,600 
  m. 
  (8,530 
  ft.). 
  

  

  Zipaquira, 
  2,628 
  m. 
  (8,622 
  ft.). 
  

  

  SesquilS, 
  2,640 
  m. 
  (8,661 
  ft.). 
  

  

  Suesca, 
  2,640 
  m. 
  (8,661 
  ft.). 
  

  

  Guatavita, 
  2,620 
  m. 
  (8,595 
  ft.), 
  up 
  a 
  tributary 
  from 
  the 
  south. 
  

  

  Guasca, 
  2,721 
  m. 
  (8,927 
  ft.), 
  higher 
  up 
  the 
  same. 
  

  

  Choconta, 
  2,685 
  m. 
  (8,809 
  ft.). 
  

  

  Descending 
  the 
  Chicamocha: 
  

  

  Hunsa, 
  modern 
  Tunja, 
  2,820 
  m. 
  (9,252 
  ft.), 
  the 
  highest 
  important 
  town. 
  

   Sugamuxi, 
  modern 
  Sogamoso, 
  2,536 
  m. 
  (8,320 
  ft.). 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  this 
  2,500 
  to 
  2,800 
  m. 
  (about 
  8,200 
  to 
  9,200 
  ft.) 
  alti- 
  

   tude 
  was 
  the 
  optimum 
  for 
  population 
  density 
  in 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  area. 
  

   The 
  specific 
  causes 
  of 
  this 
  elevation 
  being 
  optimum 
  appear 
  not 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  determined, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  evidently 
  associated 
  with 
  a 
  boun- 
  

   tiful 
  yield 
  of 
  crops, 
  especially 
  maize. 
  The 
  reasons 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   cool 
  temperature 
  around 
  lat. 
  5° 
  N., 
  a 
  favorable 
  combination 
  of 
  pre- 
  

   cipitation 
  and 
  insolation, 
  level 
  and 
  fertile 
  terrain 
  due 
  to 
  former 
  lake 
  

   basins. 
  The 
  Spaniards 
  spoke 
  of 
  sabanas, 
  but 
  the 
  natural 
  vegetation 
  

   evidently 
  was 
  more 
  varied 
  than 
  mere 
  grass 
  or 
  grass-and-scrub 
  land. 
  

   At 
  slightly 
  higher 
  altitudes, 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  3,000 
  m. 
  (about 
  9,800 
  ft.) 
  

   on 
  the 
  average, 
  paramos 
  begin, 
  and 
  potatoes 
  yield 
  better 
  than 
  maize. 
  

   At 
  lower 
  altitudes 
  than 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  optimum, 
  the 
  climate 
  begins 
  to 
  

  

  