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Panche
	Guaduas, northernmost territory of the Panche; view of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano
Total population
	30,000 (1537)
Regions with significant populations
	Cundinamarca, Tolima, Colombia
Languages
	Cariban, Colombian Spanish
Religion
	Traditional religion, Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
	Muzo, Muisca, Sutagao, Pijao

The Panche or Tolima is an indigenous group of people that lived in what is now Colombia. Their language is unclassified – and possibly unclassifiable – but may have been Cariban.^[2] They inhabited the southwestern parts of the department of Cundinamarca and the northeastern areas of the department of Tolima, close to the Magdalena River. At the time of the Spanish conquest, more than 30,000 Panche were living in what would become the New Kingdom of Granada.^[1] Early knowledge about the Panche has been compiled by scholar Pedro Simón. According to the latter, the word panche in their own Panche language means "cruel" and "murderer".^[3]

Panche territory

The Panche were inhabiting the lower altitude southwestern areas of the Cundinamarca department, close to the Magdalena River. Their northern neighbours were the Muzo in the northeast and the Pantágora in the northwest, in the east the Muisca, in the southeast the Sutagao and to the south and southwest the Pijao. The northern limits were defined by the Río Negro and the Guarinó River and the southern limits the Coello and Fusagasugá Rivers.^[4]

The Panche people were organized in a loose confederation with different subgroups whose names still remain as municipalities of Cundinamarca.

Municipalities belonging to Panche territories

Name	Department	Altitude (m) urban centre
Albán	Cundinamarca	2245
Anapoima	Cundinamarca	710
Anolaima	Cundinamarca	1657
Apulo	Cundinamarca	420
Beltrán	Cundinamarca	235
Bituima	Cundinamarca	1627
Cachipay	Cundinamarca	1600
Chaguaní	Cundinamarca	1200
El Colegio	Cundinamarca	990
Girardot	Cundinamarca	326
Guaduas	Cundinamarca	992
Guataquí	Cundinamarca	227
Guayabal de Síquima	Cundinamarca	1630
La Mesa	Cundinamarca	1200
Nilo	Cundinamarca	336
Nimaima	Cundinamarca	1085
Nocaima	Cundinamarca	1105
Pulí	Cundinamarca	1270
Quipile	Cundinamarca	2012
Ricaurte	Cundinamarca	284
San Juan de Rioseco	Cundinamarca	1303
Sasaima	Cundinamarca	1203
Tibacuy (disputed with the zipa of the Muisca)	Cundinamarca	1647
Tocaima	Cundinamarca	400
Vianí	Cundinamarca	1498
Viotá	Cundinamarca	567
Ambalema	Tolima	241
Honda	Tolima	229
Mariquita	Tolima	495

Description

The Panche were a strong group of warriors who fought numerous battles with the neighbouring Muisca. They walked partially naked and were ornamented with earrings, feathers and golden pieces.^[5]

The Panche hunted and fought wars with their enemies using sticks and clubs and poisoned arrows. They used poison of spiders and snakes for their arrows.^[5]

Petroglyphs of the Panche were discovered in Tibacuy, Viotá, El Colegio, Cachipay, Albán, Sasaima. Rock paintings have been found in Tibacuy.^[6]

Like other indigenous peoples of the Americas, such as the Guane, the Panche performed cranial deformation.^[5]

According to Pedro Simón, the Panche performed cannibalism on parts of their conquered enemies.^[7] Some sources state they ate everything except for the heads, which they hung in their bohíos.^[8] However, later research by various researchers has found no evidence for cannibalism and attribute the cannibalistic ideas to the Spanish conquistadores.^[9]

In terms of their burial practices the Panches differed from their neighbours that the dead were not oriented in a fixed position, like the Muisca with their heads to the east and the Muzo with their heads to the west.^[10]

History

Magdalena River

Bogotá River in Tocaima

The war-like Panche defended their terrain first against the Muisca and then against the Spanish and Muisca
The Magdalena River formed the western boundary of the Panche with the Pijao and Pantágora

The Panche civilization has been described from 300 AD onwards.^[1] Around the year 1000 migrations from the Caribbean coast of Colombia happened inward.^[11]

After the Spanish conquest and the installation of the New Kingdom of Granada, the Panche quickly diminished due to their resistance against the Spanish conquistadores.^[12] The first Spanish conquerors who invaded the Panche territories were Juan de Céspedes and Alonso de San Martín.^[7] Later conquest was performed by Hernán Venegas Carrillo.

More than 2000 artefacts from the Panche are stored in the Museo del Oro in Bogotá.^[5]

1543–44 - Expedition Hernán Venegas Carrillo

Name	Department	Date	Year	Note(s)
Bituima	Cundinamarca	15 August	1543	^[13]
Chaguaní	Cundinamarca		1543	^[14]
Apulo	Cundinamarca	5 January	1544	^[15]
Tocaima	Cundinamarca	20 March	1544	^[16]