Eucaneme was eighteen years old when he accessed the throne, succeeding his predecessor
Michuá as ruler of the northern Muisca. His reign was cruel and under his tyranny the Muisca feared him. His rule was so brutal that when the Spanish
conquistadors entered the outskirts of the capital Hunza and found a hill with poles where bodies were dangling, they named it
Cerro de la Horca ("Gallows Hill"). Both his predecessor Michuá and their eternal enemies, the southern Muisca led by
psihipqua Saguamanchica died in the
Battle of Chocontá in 1490. Eucaneme succeeded the throne for the northern Muisca based in Hunza while
Nemequene accessed for the southern Muisca, ruled from
Muyquytá. To halt the northern expansion politics of their southern enemies, Quemuenchatocha sought the help of the
caciques of
Gámeza,
Sugamuxi,
Tundama, and
Sáchica. In 1514 to prevent blood loss Eucaneme proposed to fight only man-to-man battles. This idea didn't work out and the southern
zipa Nemequene, while having won the battle of the
Arroyo de las Vueltas, was fatally hurt. The southern troops retreated and installed the new ruler
Tisquesusa. The
iraca,
Sugamuxi, negotiated a truce between the northern and southern factions of the Muisca which held until the arrival of the Spanish in 1537. Upon the advancement of the Spaniards instead of fighting them, he tried to please them with gifts while hiding the rich treasures of the Muisca, famous for their trade in
emeralds and vast quantities of
gold. He forbade his people to show the upcoming Spanish conquerors the way to his fortress and installed harsh penalties for doing so. The strategy did not work out. On August 20, 1537, the Spanish conquistadors led by
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada found Eucaneme sitting on this throne decorated with gold, emeralds, and precious cloths and he was taken prisoner and deported to
Suesca. This happened where today the Convento de San Agustín is located. Eucaneme fled to the village of
Ramiriquí where he shortly afterwards died. Following the Muisca rules of inheritance, his nephew
Quiminza succeeded to the throne as last ruler of Muisca before the
New Granada viceroyalty of Spain in northern
South America was established. In Tunja, capital of the Boyacá
department, a statue honoring Quemuenchatocha and his successor Aquiminzaque (
Monumento a la Raza Indígena) has been erected.
Quemuenchatocha in Muisca history ==See also==