The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-30
THE cHIBcHAs.
Littie-Known Contemporaries OF tho Az
tees and IncaS.

tees and Incas.
The rich regions of the Aztecs were
discovered in 1919, and the conqueror of
Montezuma was already returning to
Spain when PiZarro set sail for Peru.
In 1882 the empire of the Incas was en-
tirely overthrown; while in 1886 there
still existed, unknown to the world, up
on the high tablclands of the eastern
cordillera of the Andes an agricultural
people composed of more than million
souls, possessing populous cities, forti-
fed places and paved roads; an estab-
lishcd priesthood with temples, affairs
and sacrifices; an organized, hereditary
government and q standing army; an
approximate computation of time; and
various industries, and no little intel
ligence i'll husbandry. Over this grow
ing civilization of the Chibchas the con-
quest swept like n hurricane, devastat-
ing villages, archives, manufactures and
cultivated fields-dispersing the bones
and annihilating the traditions of the
miserable Indians In the course of a
few years they were deprived of their
independence, their chiefs, their liber-
ty, and even of their languages;
at the hands of the most cruel,
blind, and persistent persecution;
their very name was stricken from the
catalogue of existing nations, their de-
scendants were condemned to complete
oblivion of their origin, while the anti
quarian was left in the doubt and con-
fusion of fabulous ages with respect to
events which Immediately preceded this
epoch. The hurricdly written nara
tives of the conquerors speak of the
grandeur of the Valley Of Castles
Bogota, SO called because of the high
cdifices of its cities; of the extensive
salt mines of Zipaquira; of the potter
les of Tinjaca, and especially of the
great riches, The golden decorations.
and the upright mummics covered with
fine mantlcs that were incloscd in the
temple of Suamoz, the principal sanct-
uary of the Chibchas. Nor were these
descriptions exaggerated. In our day
there have been found in ancient Sc
butchers the most delicate cotton fab
RIGS, well-preserved mummics, elabo-
rately carved wooden articles of furni-
turc, exquisite vases of baked earth,
often initiating the human form and
the figures of animals, and an infinite
variety of golden ornaments and i'm
ages. Beyond doubt the Chibchas
had attained the third place in the
civilization of aboriginal America; vet
volumes have been written upon the
Aztccs and Incas, while the name of
this enlightened contemporary is al
most unknown. They are said to have
been dcnominated Chibchas because of
the frequent recurrence of the sylla-
blcs Chi and ''cha" in their tongue,
but Humboldt calls them Muiscas or
Moscas. According to the distin-
guishcd historian Acosta (whosc excel
lent work has been freely consulted
and often translated in the preparation
of this papcr). the term muisca mere
ly signified ''peoplc" in their language,
and mosca (Castilian for "fly'0 was
probably corruption of the former, or
may have been applied to these Indians
because of the great number that ap-
peared before, and underworld to stay
the progress of the handful of Span
iards led by cucsada. AS successful
rs Cortez or Pizarro, unlike them, this
famous captain was never rewarded
with the coveted mnrquisatc of Spain,
and has lacked the master hand of
Prescott to portray the thrilling Incl
dents of his no less remarkable con-
quest. Eemly, in Century