Zoratama
|
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Born
| |
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Died
| 16th century
|
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Cause of death
| Drowning/suicide
|
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Other names
| Soratama
|
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Known for
| Lover of conquistador Lazaro Fonte
|
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Spouse
| Lazaro Fonte
|
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Children
| 1 son
|
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Zoratama
, also spelled as
Soratama
, was a
Muisca woman
and the lover of
Spanish
conquistador
Lazaro Fonte
. Her story reminds of the
North American
indigenous
Pocahontas
who married
John Rolfe
after saving the life of
John Smith
.
Together with Lazaro Fonte, Zoratama was forced in exile and settled in
Pasca
,
Cundinamarca
, in the south of the Muisca territory. After informing conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada of the arrival of new conquistadors, they were taken back to the newly founded capital Bogota of the
New Kingdom of Granada
.
According to legend, Zoratama committed suicide and infanticide by drowning herself and her son in
sacred
Lake Guatavita
.
Background
[
edit
]
In the times before the
Spanish conquest
of present-day
Colombia
, the
Altiplano Cundiboyacense
was inhabited by the
Muisca people
. They were organised in a loose confederation of
rulers
(
caciques
) and had a total population according to
scholars
between 300,000 and two million people. The Muisca were an indigenous group of
traders
and
farmers
.
The southern part of the Muisca Confederation was ruled by the
zipa
, based in
Bacata
, the present-day capital of Colombia Bogota. The
zipa
who reigned at the arrival of the Spanish was
Tisquesusa
. His rule extended over the
Bogota savanna
and neighbouring mountains of the
Eastern Ranges
with southernmost village
Pasca
, bordered to the south by the territories of the
Sutagao people
.
In
Santa Marta
, 1536, conquistador
Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada
, triggered by the
legend
of
El Dorado
, set foot with an army of around 800 men towards the interior of Colombia. One of his captains was Lazaro Fonte.
Biography
[
edit
]
Zoratama was born in the town of
Guatavita
in the
Muisca Confederation
.
[1]
She moved to the capital of the southern Muisca,
Bacata
before the Spanish conquest. When the Spanish conquerors arrived in Bacata, they found the town almost deserted as Tisquesusa, informed about the arrival of the European invaders, had fled with his
guecha warriors
to
Nemocon
. Zoratama stayed in Bacata and was found by the troops of De Quesada. She fell in love with his captain Lazaro Fonte.
[2]
Soldiers in the army of De Quesada spread rumours about Fonte; that he had hidden
emeralds
from him. In an improvised lawsuit, Fonte would be convicted and punished with the
death penalty
, but thanks to his "lawyer"; captain Gonzalo Suarez Rendon he escaped that fate. Instead, he was forced to
exile
to the terrain of the
Panche
to the west of the Muisca territories. In January 1539, Fonte managed to change his location of exile to Pasca, Cundinamarca and took Zoratama with him.
[3]
The centre of Pasca was deserted as well, as the inhabitants feared the Spanish conquerors, and Fonte and Zoratama were left in one of the
bohios
of the village. Some of the indigenous people remained in Pasca and took care of Zoratama and her lover. When in Pasca, news reached Fonte that new Spanish conquistadores were entering Muisca terrain; from later
Venezuela
Nicolas de Federmann
and from the south
Sebastian de Belalcazar
.
[3]
Fonte wrote on a piece of
deer skin
the news and sent Zoratama back to Bacata to inform De Quesada of the arrival of the other conquistadores. De Quesada pardoned Fonte and via Gonzalo Suarez Rendon gave him back his weapons.
[4]
Zoratama and Fonte got one son together; a
mestizo
child of the Spanish and indigenous. Fonte was sent on expedition to search for
El Dorado
in
Putumayo
and
Amazonas
in the south of present-day Colombia. He formed part of the army of
Hernan Perez de Quesada
, brother of Gonzalo. Due to fever and hunger in the inhospitable jungle of the area, Fonte died.
[4]
Governor Alonso Luis de Lugo expelled Zoratama from the
encomienda
she was guarding and with her son she went to
Caqueza
and
Choachi
, trying to gain income by selling firewood. Zoratama went further north to her hometown Guatavita and according to legend she drowned herself and her son in
Lake Guatavita
, like the
cacica Guatavita
had done centuries before.
[4]
Named after Zoratama
[
edit
]
- Zoratama, a rural school in Pasca
[5]
- Soratama, a neighbourhood, creek (
quebrada
) and quarry in the locality of Bogota
Usaquen
[6]
[7]
[8]
Trivia
[
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]
- Zoratama is named in the
hymn
of the town of Pasca, Cundinamarca
[9]
- Choreographer Fernando Gonzalez Cajiao composed a street dance about the Muisca, including Zoratama
[10]
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
Bibliography
[
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]