Muisca religion

Muisca religion describes the religion of the Muisca people who inhabited the central highlands of the Colombian Andes before the Spanish conquest. The Muisca formed a confederation of holy rulers and had a variety of deities, temples and rituals incorporated in their culture. Supreme being of the Muisca was Chiminigagua who created light and the Earth. He was not directly honoured, yet that was done through Chía, god of the Moon, and her husband Sué, god of the Sun. The representation of the two main celestial bodies as husband and wife showed the complementary character of man and woman and the sacred status of marriage.[1]

The Muisca worshipped their gods on sacred sites, both natural like Lake Guatavita and Lake Tota and constructed; the Sun and Moon Temples in respectively Sugamuxi and Chía. During these rituals the priests, obgues, performed sacrifices, sometimes human in character. The last public religious ceremony of the Muisca was performed in Ubaque on December 27th, 1563.[2]

Knowledge about the Muisca religion was brought to Europe by conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and soldier Juan de Castellanos in the 16th century and by bishop Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita and friar Pedro Simón in the 17th century.

Religious practices

The Muisca were deeply religious people and their rulers had a double role both as political and as religious leaders. The people fasted and also consumed coca, tobacco and yopo with their rituals.[3]

Deities

A variety of deities have been described by the chroniclers.

Chía joined with her husband Sué during a lunar eclipse
Bachué
Tequendama Falls created by Bochica
Cuchavira appearing close to Lake Guatavita
Nencatacoa helped the Muisca to build their bohíos (houses)

Chiminigagua - Supreme Being

Chiminigagua was the creator god of the Muisca who made the light and the Earth. At the beginning of time it was all dark and Chiminigagua sent two large black birds into the skies. From their beaks the light was created and the cosmos illuminated.[4]

Chía - goddess of the Moon

Chía was the goddess of the Moon and one of the two gods through which Chiminigagua was honoured. She represented fertility of the Earth and of the people. She was married to Súe.[5]

Sué - god of the Sun

Súe was the god of the Sun, important for the agriculture of the Muisca. He and his wife Chía followed eachother across the skies, forming the perfect couple in conjunction at New Moon and during solar and lunar eclipses.[5]

Bachué - mother goddess

The ancestor of all the Muisca people was Bachué, mother of mankind who emerged from Lake Iguague with a three-year old boy in her arms. When the boy grew up Bachué married her son and traveled around the Muisca territories. Everytime she was pregnant she bore four to six children. The Muisca believed all the people could be traced back to Bachué. When her children got old, Bachué returned to Lake Iguague with her son and after a final speech they turned into two giant snakes who submerged in the water, making the site sacred for the Muisca.[5]

Bochica - messenger god of civilization

Bochica was the messenger of Chiminigagua and holy teacher of the Muisca. He was an old bearded man sent from heaven to educate the people in weaving, mantle making, ceramics production and social, moral and political values. He settled in Sugamuxi where the people organized yearly religious festivities. Bochica created the Tequendama Falls, a waterfall west of southern capital Bacatá.[6]

Huitaca - rebelling goddess of sexual liberation

Huitaca was the goddess of happiness, pleasure and sexual liberation who rebelled against Bochica. She used to be a beautiful woman teaching the people a long life full of arts and dances. When Bochica found out about her rebellion against his power, he turned Huitaca into an white owl.[6]

Chibchacum - god of rain and thunder

God Chibchacum represented rain and thunder and protected the traders and the working people in general. He was the patron of Bacatá where the Muisca offered him gold. His revenge upon the people who disobeyed was flooding the Bogotá savanna. Bochica stepped in and ordered Chibchacum to carry the Earth on his shoulders, like Atlas in Ancient Greece. Chibchacum was also the god of the numerous earthquakes in the central Andes.[7]

Cuchavira - god of the rainbow

The rainbow was represented by Cuchavira who was born when Bochica created the Tequendama Falls. He was honoured with god and other sacrifices.[7]

Chaquén - god of sports and fertility

Chaquén was the god of fertility of the Earth and sports. He trained the Muisca to prepare them for wars and the guecha warriors and farmers honoured him to win battles and acquire good harvests. Sexual rituals where the people dressed up in coloured feathered costumes were guarded by Chaquén. He was also the creator of the Colombian national sport: tejo.[7]

Nencatacoa - god of arts and dance

Nencatacoa was the Muisca god and protector of artists, painters, builders and drunkenness. The people in the Muisca territories worshipped him in large festivities where they got drunk of chicha. Nencatacoa was represented by a fox or bear, dressed in gold. He helped the Muisca build their bohíos, carrying the heavy wooden poles for the construction.[7]

Sites

Temple of the Sun in Sugamuxi
Sacred Lake Guatavita

To honour the gods, the Muisca organised pilgrimages to their temples and other sacred sites. The pilgrimages were accompanied by music and dances as well as (human) sacrifices. The pilgrimages were led by a group of priests; ogques in Chibcha, the Spanish called them jeques or xeques.[8][9][1] The priests were trained from childhood to become the religious leaders of the Muisca.[10]

Temples

The most important temples for the Muisca were the Temple of the Sun in sacred city of the Sun Sugamuxi (Chibcha: "Dwelling of the Sun") and the Temple of the Moon in Chía, the town named after the Moon goddess. Here the people gathered to worship Sué and Chía.[8] Other main temples were built in Guatavita, Bacatá and Guachetá.[11] In the temples images of their gods are said to have been created, made of gold and silver. The sight of these richly decorated temples only strengthened the legend of El Dorado.[12]

Sacred sites

In the Muisca territories existed a number of natural locations that were considered sacred; lakes, forests and large rocks. Honouring the gods the people gathered here to perform rituals and sacrifices mostly with gold and emeralds. Important lakes were Lake Guatavita, Lake Iguaque, Lake Fúquene, Lake Tota, the Siecha Lakes, Lake Teusacá and Lake Ubaque.[8]

Sacrifice

Parrots were considered to have a soul and sacrificed to the Muisca gods

The Muisca offered various precious materials to their gods; gold, tumbaga (an alloy of gold and copper), emeralds, snails, cloths and food. Also parrots and other colourful birds were used in the sacred rituals as they were considered having a soul.[13]

Also human sacrifice was not uncommon although those were not around anymore when the Spanish conquistadores arrived. Only from verbal tradition we know the Muisca performed them. Jiménez de Quesada wrote that "only captured other tribes, such as the Panches and others, were used for human sacrifices in the rare occasions where humans were offered", while Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita described that "the best sacrifices to the gods were those of human blood".[1]

All the chroniclers agree that in ancient times families offered one child to the priests who raised them as a holy person and at fifteen years (other sources say twelve)[11] were sacrificed. This was a great honour for the family and the victims. The sacrifices were performed by taking the heart out of the body or penetrate them with spears.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 (Spanish) Muisca religion - Pueblos Originarios - accessed 04-05-2016
  2. ↑ Londoño, 2001, p.4
  3. ↑ (Spanish) Religious rituals of the Muisca - accessed 04-05-2016
  4. ↑ Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.218
  5. 1 2 3 Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.220
  6. 1 2 Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.221
  7. 1 2 3 4 Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.222
  8. 1 2 3 Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.226
  9. ↑ Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.216
  10. ↑ (Spanish) Muisca priests were raised from childhood - accessed 04-05-2016
  11. 1 2 Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.1, p.16
  12. ↑ (Spanish) Muisca religion - Chía and Zuhé - Banco de la República - accessed 04-05-2016
  13. ↑ Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.227

Bibliography

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