A 1538 Spanish-Muisca victory over the Panche that advanced but did not complete the conquest of western Cundinamarca.
Key Facts
- Date
- August 19–20, 1538
- Location
- Vereda Tocarema, Cachipay, Cundinamarca
- Spanish commanders
- Juan de Céspedes and Juan de Sanct Martín
- Muisca ally
- Zipa Sagipa of the southern Muisca Confederation
- Outcome
- Victory for Spanish and Muisca alliance
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Spanish conquest of the Muisca in the late 1530s, the Panche people of western Cundinamarca resisted colonial expansion. Conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada forged an alliance with Muisca zipa Sagipa to counter the Panche, whose territory bordered the Muisca Confederation and who were regarded by early Spanish chroniclers as bellicose.
On the afternoon of August 19 and morning of August 20, 1538, a combined Spanish and Muisca force engaged the Panche at Tocarema in present-day Cachipay, Cundinamarca. Captains Juan de Céspedes and Juan de Sanct Martín commanded two separate flanks of the conquistador forces, securing a decisive victory over the indigenous Panche.
Despite the defeat, Panche resistance in western Cundinamarca was not fully extinguished. Additional conquest expeditions were required to subdue the region, indicating that the battle, while a tactical success for the Spanish and Muisca, did not end indigenous opposition in the area.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, Juan de Céspedes, Juan de Sanct Martín, Sagipa (Zipa of the Muisca).
Side B
1 belligerent