1536 - the harsh route towards Muisca territory

When the expedition into the heart of Colombia of Gonzalo and Hernán de Quesada reached Chipatá, at the border of Guane and Muisca territories, the curious but cautious indigenous people provided the conquistadors with fresh cotton mantles for their journey into the Altiplano Cundiboyacense

The first indigenous group that was submitted to the Spanish Crown were the Tairona, who inhabit the area around Santa Marta, presently living on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and in Tayrona Park. On April 6, 1536, triggered by the stories of the mythical "City of Gold" El Dorado, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada organised two groups of conquistadors towards the inner highlands of the Colombian Andes, as first European explorers.^[3] The army with the brothers De Quesada and more than 700 soldiers and 80 horses went over land and another, of more than 200 men, embarked in boats and ascended the Magdalena River from Ciénaga, in search of its origin. The list of the soldiers that eventually made it to Funza has been compiled by Juan Florez de Ocáriz (1612-1692).^[15] The land army was led by Gonzalo with Hernán second in command.^[16] The first indigenous group conquered, were the Chimila people. Continuing south, the troops had to cross inhospitable terrains full of creeks and part of their supplies and equipment was lost when crossing the Ariguaní River.^[17]

The troops led by the De Quesadas passed through among other settlements Tamalameque, Barrancabermeja and Chipatá where the Spanish for the first time learnt to drink chicha, the fermented alcoholic beverage of the Muisca. The almost-naked conquistadors who suffered from the difficult expedition through the jungles received cotton mantles from the Muisca people in Chipatá. The expedition passed through halted in Chía where they spent the Holy Week. After that week in April 1537, he ordered his men towards Funza, the site of the domain of the zipa. Although the army of the brothers De Quesada was reduced to 170 men, the hundreds of guecha warriors couldn't resist their superior arms and were defeated. In the meantime, zipa Tisquesusa sent messengers to the caciques in the Muisca Confederation to inform them of the arrival of the light-skinned heavily armed men. The caciques considered the invaders sacred and didn't dare to attack them.^[17] Funza was conquered and founded on April 20, 1537.^[18] Of the more than 900 soldiers who left Santa Marta a year earlier, only 162 survived the harsh expedition.^[15]

On the same day that his brother Gonzalo founded Tenza, June 24, 1537, Hernán founded Sutatausa.^[19]

First conquest by Hernán Pérez de Quesada

Name	Department	Date	Year	Notes	Map
Sutatausa	Cundinamarca	24 June	1537	[19]

1538 - establishment of Bogotá and surroundings

At the start of 1538, when the troops were exhausted after almost two years in foreign terrain, the soldiers asked what was their payment for the conquest they had done. De Quesada divided the conquered treasures over his men; 40,000 pieces of fine gold, 562 emeralds and tumbaga (gold-copper-silver alloys). Foot soldiers received 520 pieces each, horse riders the double amount, captains 2080 pieces, generals 3640 and some pieces were given as prizes for the most distinguished soldiers. Masses were organised to honour the many dead soldiers during the campaign and part of the treasure was given to Juan de las Casas. De Quesada was not pleased to hear about the advancement of another group of conquistadors in the east, led by Nikolaus Federmann, coming from later Venezuela across the Llanos Orientales. Another team of conquerors, commanded by Sebastián de Belalcázar, was coming from the south, originating from Quito. Gonzalo sent Hernán to meet the southern group who had traveled through the hot valley of Neiva.^[17] Hernán ordered the decapitation of Aquiminzaque, the last zaque of Hunza in late 1538.^[20]

1540–1541

In his search for El Dorado, Hernán explored the departments of Tolima and Huila.^[1] Hernán Pérez de Quesada was only one of many explorers in the search for El Dorado.^[22] After the destruction and looting of the Sun Temple in Sogamoso in September 1537, Hernán Pérez thought there was an even bigger place where the indigenous people hid their gold, called "La Casa del Sol". In his quest, starting from Sogamoso along the right banks of the Chicamocha River, he approached with a hundred men the terrain of the Lache and entered Jericó, at that time called Cheva, where he and his troops gathered the food of the original inhabitants who promptly fled to Chita.^[23]

The city of Tunja, in the times of the Muisca called Hunza, was founded on 1541 by Gonzalo Suárez Rendón in an expedition ordered by Hernán de Quesada.^[24] In July 1541, the Chapter of Tunja told De Quesada that he couldn't leave his empire alone. Hernán responded that "whatever he did, was in the interest of the Spanish Crown".^[25]

Later in 1541, Hernán Pérez de Quesada went northward towards the later department of Norte de Santander, where he crossed Panqueba, Guacamayas, El Cocuy and Chita, and reached Chinácota but had to return soon after that.^[26][27] Soldiers of his army submitted the U'wa living in El Cocuy.^[28]

On his southern expedition in the same year, Hernán Pérez de Quesada was the first European to reach the southeastern Colombian departments of Caquetá and Putumayo.^[24] One of his soldiers, Lázaro Fonte, the lover of Zoratama, died due to the natural dangers of the jungle.^[29]

Second conquest by Hernán Pérez de Quesada

Name	Department	Date	Year	Notes	Map
Motavita	Boyacá		1540	[7]
Sasaima	Cundinamarca	Early	1540	[30]
Bituima	Cundinamarca		1540	[31]
Nimaima	Cundinamarca		1540	[32]
Sativasur	Boyacá		1540	[33]
Jericó	Boyacá		1540	[34]
Guacamayas	Boyacá		1540	[35]
Chiscas	Boyacá		1540	[36]
Chita	Boyacá		1540	[35]
Panqueba	Boyacá		1540	[35]
Güicán	Boyacá		1540	[37]
El Cocuy	Boyacá		1540	[35][38]
Pasca	Cundinamarca	Early September	1540	[9]
Nevado del Sumapaz	Cundinamarca		1540
San Martín	Meta		1540	[39]
Florencia	Caquetá		1540	[40]
San José de la Fragua	Caquetá		1540	[9]
Mocoa	Putumayo		1540-41	[9]
Sibundoy	Putumayo		1541	[9]
Popayán	Cauca		1541	[9]
Cali	Valle del Cauca		1541	[41]
Quito	Pichincha		1542