Chibcha << CHIB chuh >> lived on the high plains of the central Colombian Andes. The only known sources of information about them are archaeology and Spanish records. The Spanish conquered the Chibcha in the 1500’s. The Chibcha culture changed quickly, and their language became extinct in the 1700’s.
The Chibcha were once classified as a highly advanced civilization, as great as those of the Aztec, Inca, and Maya. They worked gold, drilled emeralds, made pottery and basketry, and wove textiles. But their craftwork was not as highly developed as that of other Native American cultures in Colombia. They did some farming in lowlands and on terraced hillsides. Research shows they had only small villages.
See also El Dorado.
