Muisca People - Economy

Economy

The Muisca people had an economy and society that was considered one of the most powerful of the American Post-Classic stage. When the Spaniards came into the territory, they found a rich state. The Muisca Confederation was mining the following products:

• emeralds: Colombia was the first producer of emeralds of the world.
• copper
• coal: The coal mines still operate today at Zipaquirá and other sites. Colombia has some of the main coal reserves of the planet.
• salt: There were mines in production at Nemocón, Zipaquirá, and Tausa.
• gold: Gold was imported from other regions, but it was so abundant that it became a preferred material for Muisca handicrafts. The many handicraft works in gold and the Zipa tradition of offering gold to the goddess Guatavita contributed to the legend of El Dorado. Further information: Pre-Columbian goldworking of the Chibchan area

The Muisca traded their goods at local and regional markets by a system of barter. Items traded ranged from those of basic necessity to luxury. The abundance of salt, emeralds, and coal made those commodities serve as a de facto currency.

Having developed an agrarian society, the people used terrace farming and irrigation in the highlands.

Another major economic activity was weaving. The people made a wide variety of complex textiles. The scholar Paul Bahn said, "the Andean cultures mastered almost every method of textile weaving or decoration now known, and their products were often finer than those of today."