Chibcha is an
extinct language of
Colombia, formerly spoken by the
Muisca people, a complex
indigenous civilization of
South America of what today is the country of Colombia.
As early as 1580 the authorities in Charcas, Quito, and Santa Fe de Bogotá mandated the establishment of schools in native languages and required that priests study these languages before ordination. In 1606 the entire clergy was ordered to provide religious instruction in Chibcha. The Chibcha language declined in the 18th century, however.