Abstract

RAMIREZ MIRANDA, ANGY LILIANA. Patterns of Access to Resources of the Chitagoto Chiefdom, Muisca Area (1555-1602). Front. hist. [online]. 2020, vol.25, n.1, pp.172-207. ISSN 2027-4688.  https://doi.org/10.22380/20274688.835.

This article examines whether ecological complementarity was part of the political economy of Chitagoto chiefdom -located in Eastearn Andes of Colombia- when Spaniards arrived in sixteenth century through the revision of ethnohistorical information. In other words, if it was not only an Andean ideal, but also a company directed by political leaders, who appropriated of production and monopolized power through the tribute. The results suggest the existence of microvertical settlement and specialization in the production of coca, able to generate a surplus to exchange it with lowland ethnic groups. This thanks to the existence of specialized markets such as Duitama, Sogamoso, Tunja and Bogota, whose prestige could be based on the control of distribution of surplus products.

Keywords : ethnohistory; political economy; ecological complementarity; muisca chiefdoms.

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