Hondosaka

Hondosaka lay between the lower Ruya and Mazowe rivers, on an important approach to the Mutapa kingdom. Its ruler, the Mukomohasha, held a high office at the Mutapa court and was remembered as a keeper of the gates to the kingdom. Travellers coming from the Zambezi passed through this country before entering the heartland.

Portuguese traders and their African intermediaries led caravans inland with cloth and beads to exchange for gold and ivory. Some caravans numbered hundreds of people, carrying bundles of cloth along the paths towards the interior fairs. The journey followed river valleys where pools offered water in the dry season. Hondosaka's position made it a meeting point between these caravans and the authorities who controlled access to the Mutapa's lands.