The Tegua or Tecua were an Arawak-speaking Official website Miraflores indigenous people of Colombia who died out in the 19th century. Historia de los Teguas
The territories of the Tegua stretched from Macanal, Boyacá in the west to Aguazul in the east and from Berbeo in the north to Villanueva in the south, on the eastern flanks of the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes.
Knowledge of the Tegua is scarce, but has been provided by pre-modern scholars Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita, Basilio Fernández de Oviedo and Pedro Simón and in modern times by Javier Ocampo López and Pedro Gustavo Huertas Ramírez. Las esmeraldas de Colombia Los Teguas - El Tiempo
Etymology The name of the people Tegua, originally meaning "boy", Curanderos, contras y culebras is presently a word in Colombian Spanish and means "shaman" or "witchdoctor", referring to the advanced knowledge the Tegua had of medicinal plants. Tesoros legendarios
Tegua territory The Tegua inhabited the area of the lower and central Lengupá River valley in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes and the foothills (Piedemonte) towards the Llanos Orientales, such as the Casanare municipalities Recetor, Chámeza and Aguazul. Inspección Arqueológica en Territorio Tegua Los pueblos indígenas del territorio Colombiano To the south, the Guayupe were living, the eastern part was bordering the territories of the Achagua and the western and northern terrains were inhabited by the Muisca. The Tegua living east of Guatavita paid tribute to the Muisca. Los señores Chibchas - Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas The origin of the Tegua people was in Campohermoso, Boyacá, where both the Lengupá and Upía Rivers flow. Campohermoso rescata su memoria histórica - El Tiempo Historia de Campohermoso
Municipalities belonging to Tegua territories
Name Department Altitude (m)urban centre Map Campohermoso Boyacá 1100 Páez Boyacá 1300 Berbeo Boyacá 1335 Miraflores Boyacá 1432 Macanal(shared with Muisca) Boyacá 1680 San Luis de Gaceno Boyacá 395 Santa María Boyacá 850 Aguazul(shared with Achagua) Casanare 290 Recetor(shared with Achagua) Casanare 800 Chámeza(shared with Achagua) Casanare 1150 Sabanalarga Casanare 450 Villanueva Casanare 420
Description As noted by Pedro Simón, the Tegua had a diet formed by maize, honey, fish, coca and peanuts. They cultivated yuca and made pies of yuca and ants. La yuca, alimento prehispánico
The chroniclers of the 17th century describe a Tegua woman with the assigned name La Cardeñosa, as a beautiful Tegua.
The first contact with the Tegua was made in 1538 by Juan de San Martín. In 1556 the evangelization process was started to convert the Tegua to Catholicism.
Names of Tegua caciques are reinstalled as street names of Campohermoso; Pirazica, Yayogua, Onayomba and Yapompo.
Language De Piedrahita has written that the Tegua spoke another language and looked different from the Muisca.
See also
Muisca U'wa Achagua, Guayupe
References