Muisca economy

The economy of the muisca chiefdoms was marked by markets and autonomy of communities, as well as a system of exploitation of multiple North Andean eco-zones. Politically, the muisca chiefs or caciques had the function of redistributing an accumulated surplus of goods in a system of exchange called tamsa, erroneously translated as "tribute". Additionally, economic activity was also linked to political and religious activities associated with Chibchacum, god of merchants.

The Muisca economy was self-sufficient regarding the basic supplies, thanks to the advanced technologies of the agriculture on raised terraces by the people. Various pathways of goods existed throughout muisca territory, and markets were held in the cercados of chiefs, except in the territory of the Bogotá chiefdom. Chiefs participated in markets to show their prestige. Trade relations with other chibcha language-groups, like the Guane, were conducted without a muisca advantage. Echange with other groups, not of the chibcha language family, was done to acquire luxury goods for chiefs, and wasn't conducted in cercados. Due to the absence of currency, the naming of places of trueque as "markets" has been criticized, however.

Apart from agriculture, the Muisca were well developed in the production of different crafts, using the raw materials traded with surrounding indigenous peoples. Famous are the golden and tumbaga objects made by the Muisca. Contrary to the writings of the colonial-era chroniclers, there was no uniform "currency" (neither so-called "tejuelos", "santillos" nor pearl necklaces), though blankets sometimes had an almost general value.

Mining was important for the Muisca, who were called "The Salt People" because of their salt mines in Zipaquirá, Nemocón and Tausa. Like their western neighbours, the Muzo -who were called "The Emerald People"- they mined emeralds in their territories, mainly in Somondoco. Carbon was found throughout the region of the Muisca in Eocene sediments and used for the fires for cooking and the production of salt and golden ornaments.

As the clear objective of the Spanish colonisers was to gain access to the rich mineral resources and the golden figures made by the Muisca, many primary accounts of the Muisca economy have been considered biased, misinterpreted or even outright false by later scholars. Pedro de Aguado, Pedro Simón, Juan de Castellanos, Juan de los Barrios, first conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and many others have written about the economy of the Muisca. Later research, in many cases nuancing or even refuting the scriptures of the early Spanish writers, has been conducted by Carl Henrik Langebaek, Marianne Cardale de Schrimpff, Sylvia Broadbent, Jorge Gamboa Mendoza, Javier Ocampo López and others.