According to the traditions of the northern Muisca, the
iraca of Sugamuxi was chosen alternating between the
caciques of
Firavitoba and
Tobasía. Nompanim, from Tobasía, was the successor of
Bermejo (
Spanish given name), as
cacique of Sugamuxi. Bermejo was an
usurper to the throne of Sugamuxi, allegedly because he was a redhead. Nompanim supported
zaque Quemuenchatocha with an army of 20,000
guecha warriors in the
Battle of Los Arroyos against
zipa Nemequene, fought around 1514. The army of the
zaque, supported by Nompanim,
Tundama, and the
caciques of
Gámeza and
Sáchica won this battle and Nemequene died the next day, succeeded by Tisquesusa. The seat of Nompanim was the
Sun Temple in Sogamoso, that was destroyed by soldiers of
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada in September 1537. Nompanim installed four new laws for his people: 1; don't kill, 2; don't steal, 3; don't lie and 4; don't take someone else's wife. The first crime was punished with the death penalty and for the other crimes lashing was the punishment at the first incident, personal dishonouring for the second and inherited dishonouring for the third time. Nompanim died in an unknown year shortly after 1514 and was succeeded by
Sugamuxi, the last
iraca of the City of the Sun, who confronted the Spanish conquerors and converted to
catholicism.
Nompanim in Muisca history == See also ==