Editing Muisca (section)

== Language ==
[[File:Muisca cyphers acc acosta humboldt zerda.svg|right|thumb|260px|'''Muisca numerals''' as depicted by [[Joaquín Acosta|Acosta]], [[Alexander von Humboldt|Von Humboldt]] and [[Liborio Zerda|Zerda]]<ref name=Izquierdo_p43>Izquierdo Peña, 2009, p.43</ref>]]
{{Main|Chibcha language}}
{{See also|Muisca numerals}}
''Chibcha'', also known as ''muysca'', ''mosca'', or ''muysca cubun'', belongs to the [[Chibchan languages]]. At the height of its expanse, the language was spoken across several regions of [[Central America]] and the north of [[South America]]. The [[Tairona]] culture and the [[U'wa people|U'wa]], related to the Muisca culture, speak similar languages, which encouraged trade. The Muisca used a form of [[hieroglyph]]s for numbers.

Many Chibcha words were absorbed or "loaned" into Colombian Spanish:
* Geography: Many names of localities and regions were kept. In some cases, the Spanish named cities with a combination of Chibcha and Spanish words, such as [[Santa Fe de Bogotá]] (Chibcha: "Bacatá"). Most of the municipalities of the [[Boyacá Department|Boyacá]] and [[Cundinamarca Department|Cundinamarca]] departments are derived from Chibcha names: [[Chocontá]], [[Sogamoso]], [[Zipaquirá]], and many others.
* Fruits, such as [[curuba]] and [[uchuva]].
* Relations: the youngest child is called ''cuba'', or ''china'' for a girl;{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} ''muysca'' means people.