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Muisca mythology
Muisca mythology refers to the precolumbian beliefs of the muisca culture about the origin and organization of the universe.
Creation of the universe
Bague (the Grandmother) is a non-material principle of creation, the will, the thought and the imagination of all the things to come. She is a similar concept to the principle of tao in the Chinese mythology.
The time of unquyquie nxie (the first thought) is the time of the cosmic origin, when the thoughts of Bague became actions. This is the time when Bague created the Builders of the Universe and ordered them to create.
The Builders
The first gods, constructors of the universe built the first Cuca or ceremonial temple. They were:
Bachue (The one with naked breasts): The mother goddess, who raised from the underworld to give birth to the human race.
Cuza (The one who is like the night): The male principle of creation. Chibchachum (the one who holds the earth). The universal legislator.
Bochica (the father of civilization)
Nemcatacoa and the Chiminigagua trinity deity, constituted by Chi, Chimini and Chiminigagua.
The gods danced a very long dance (Sas quyhynuca), with the music of the Fo drum, in the first ceremony. This ceremony gave origin to the space and time.
Then, the gods created the first materials of the universe: Fiva (the air), Faova (the cosmic cloud) and Ie (the smoke). Then, they created the six directions of the material dimension, and in the middle of the emptiness, they created the center of power Tomsa (bellybutton of the universe). But, still the universe had no consistence, and they waited many bxogonoas eons until the sas bequia, the beginning of the world.
The beginning of the world
The World starts with Chimi (the pulp), the first material object in the world. Then, in the inners of Tomsa, were incubated the embryos of Stars, embryos of land and embryos of stone. When Tomsa was full, the seeds of the earth emerged and the remains were thrown away, forming the Milky Way.
The elements were distributed to the deities. The heat to Sua the sun -, the cold to Chia the moon-, and the clouds and smoke to the earth, but all the things were still seeds and nothing was germinated. Then, Mnya, the gold, the energy, was united with Chimi, the pulp, and became Chimini, the creative force, which caused the germination of the seeds of all things.
The Great flood
Due to transgressions against the divine laws, Chibchachum brought forth a flood that covered the world and nearly destroyed the human race. Then, the protective god Bochica drove away the waters through the Tequendama Falls, and taught humans the basis of civilization, agriculture, religion, the arts, and crafts. When he was about to leave to his heavenly kingdom, the rainbow appeared and Bochica announced his second coming, far away in the future, in an event marked by death and disease. These events are similar to the biblical histories of Genesis and Apocalypse.
.The gods and sacred places
The pre-Columbian inhabitants of Colombia worshipped many forces of nature, animals and plant species, besides the main gods. Among others:
Aba: The maize
Bachue: The mother of mankind
Bague: Great grandmother, the mind of the universe
Biza: The snail
Bochica: The savior
Bxogonoa: The period of a generation
Cona: The mochila bag
Cuza: The one that is like the night
Chia: The moon
Chibchachum: The World Organizer
Chie: The urtica plant
Chiguaca: The verdolaga plant Portulaca oleracea
Chiinegui: The small captain fish
Chimi: The pulp, the first being
Chimini: The golden Light.
Chiminigagua: The golden pulp, the force of creation
Chuhuia: The mouse
Chyquy: The priests of the calendar
Cuza fiba, Chuchaviva: The Rainbow (chuquy) deity. The sign of death.
Fanzaquia: The harvest.
Faoba: The cloud
Fagua: The star, the morning star
Fiva: The air
Fo: The spirit of music
Fupqua: The crab
Gacha: The chicha pot
Gata: The fire
Guaquy: The mastuerzo plant Lepidium sativum
Guayacan: The guayacan tree Caesalpinia spp.
Guamuyhyca: The black captain fish
Guayque: The chief
Guecha, Guecha: The warrior
Gue mny muy: The house of the sacred gold ornaments
Hayo: The coca plant
Ie: The path; the smoke
Iomza: The potato
Iosua: The tadpole
Itugue: The emptiness
Mnya: The gold, the energy
Mocoba: The frailejon plant
Mohanes: The priests of water
Muyquyta, Muequeta: The sacred land.
Nemcatacoa: The protector of the loom
Opaguegue: House of the moon
Hosca: The tobacco plant
Poporo: Important device in the ceremony of Hayo (coca chewing).
Quemes: The Messengers
Quincha: The hummingbird
Quizo: The perdix bird
Saga: The ceremonial fast
Sie: The water
Simte: The owl
Sua: The sun
Sue: The parrot, husband of Bachue, which is sometimes depicted as a child in her arms.
Suhuzy mny: The house of the war ornaments
Sumguy: The tortola bird Zenaida auriculata
Sumne: The duck
Suquysca: The cerraja plant Sonchus spp.
Tegua: The healer
Timana: The ceremonial cup
Titua: House of feathers
Tymanzo: The vulture
Tyba: The owner of the knowledge.
Tyhyquy: The borrachero plant Datura stramonium
Uaia, Guaia: The mother, the lady
Ubzaque, Uzaque: Great chiefs
Yopo: The plant gate of the knowledge
References
http://www.observatorio.unal.edu.co/arqueoastronomia/articulos/bachue.pdf
http://www.colombiaaprende.edu.co/html/sitios/1610/article-72982.html
External links
Mitologia Indigena Colombian government page about indigenous mythology.
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Muisca mythology
