Moon Goddess Chia Preliminary Sketch by Alonso Neira Martinez

Muisca mythology refers to the pre-Columbian beliefs of the Muisca indigenous people of the Cordillera Oriental highlands of the Andes in the vicinity of Bogotá, Colombia, about the origin and organization of the universe. Their belief system may be described as a polytheistic spirituality based on an epistemology of mysticism.

Creation of the universe[edit]

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.

Builders[edit]

Monument to Bachué goddess by Luís Horacio Betancur, Medellín (Colombia).

Monument to Bochica, Cuitiva, Boyacá (Colombia).

The first gods, constructors of the universe, built the first cuca or ceremonial temple. They were: [6 in number, cf: Zoroastrians]

Bachué (“The one with the naked breasts”): the mother goddess who raised from the underworld to give birth to the human race.
The goddess Bachué (from the Chibcha language "the one with the naked breast"), is a mother goddess that according with the muiscacolombian mythology is the mother of humanity. She emerged of the waters in the Lake Iguaque with a baby in her arms, who grew to become her husband and populate the earth. She received worshipping in a temple, in the area now occupied by the town of San Pedro de Iguaque.
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”) also called Nemqueteba, Nemquereteba, Sadigua, Chimizapagua
Nem-catacoa ("The protector of festivities, beer, and the arts")
Chiminigagua: trinity deity, constituted by Chí, Chímini 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 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 itugue, the emptiness, they created the centre of power tomsa (bellybutton of the universe). But, still the universe had no consistence, and they waited many bxogonoas aeons until the sas bequia, the beginning of the world.

Beginning of the world[edit]

The world started 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 Chía – the moon, and the clouds and smoke to the Earth, but all the things were still seeds and nothing was germinated. Then, Mnya,gold, energy, was united with Chimi, the pulp, and became Chímini, the creative force, which caused the germination of the seeds of all things.

Origin of mankind[edit]

According to the muisca legend, the mankind was originated in the Iguaque lake, when the goddess Bachué came out from the lake with a boy in her arms. When the boy grew, they populated the earth. They are considered the ancestors of the human race (Incest). finally, they disappeared unto the lake in the shape of snakes.
Iguaque is a sacred place to the indigenous people. According to Muisca legend, the mankind was originated in the Iguaque lake, when the goddess Bachué came out from the lake with a boy in her arms. When the boy grew, they populated the earth. They are considered the ancestors of the human race. finally, they disappeared unto the lake in the shape of snakes.

Great flood[edit]

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 theTequendama 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.

EL-DORADO

South American concept

Also known as ELDORADO

The Golden Man of Legendary Wealth — and his even more legendary City of Gold.

In what is now Colombia, the Chibcha tribe were minding their own business by the mystical lake Guatavita and reveling in their ceremony of the Golden Man. A tribal and spiritual leader was chosen to be anointed with fragrant oil and have gold dust puffed over him from a tube until he was awe-inspiringly glittery.

Then with much ritual and votive golden offerings and golden oldie music he was rowed on a golden raft to the middle of the lake. At this point reports vary, from his performing aquabatics until the gold was washed off and the Gods of the Lake placated, to his putting on a new gold suit every day.
Meanwhile, Gold Lust was running rife throughout Europe. Jungles — and a very dodgy knowledge of geography — notwithstanding, Conquistadors and Germanic mercenaries poured into South America.
The Pizarro mob had already sacked the Incas. When the opportunists blundered and plundered their way through Colombia in the mid 1500’s, they heard about the Golden Man.
The locals told them the gold came from where the salt was. And the Chibcha people were very rich in salt having their very own salt mountain. In their eyes this was very precious stuff which they traded for gold further north. So they used gold the way we use plastic.
Would the greedmongers believe this? Not a chance. They pillaged and tortured and silly rumors ran rife that somewhere there must be a Golden City they called EL-DORADO — the Golden One.
Vast fortunes were squandered in hopeless expeditions to find the place — and when explorer Francisco de Orellana claimed to have found traces of the place in 1541, the legend became unbreakable. The fantasy persisted with wilder and wilder speculations, and even Francis Drake came to an untimely end over idiotic Gold Rush theories.

But the Golden Man had the last laugh as just about all the greedy invaders came to nasty or impoverished ends. The opportunists never got to grips with the emeralds either. These abounded in Chibcha territory, but were believed by the chasers of golden dreams to have been imported from elsewhere. Sometimes you need to take exaggerated stories with a pinch of salt.

CHIA

South American Evil Goddess

Also known as CHIÁ

Evil Moon Goddess

Wife of BOCHICA.

Identified with HUITACA, the drunken Goddess of Bad Behavior, she is believed to have caused a number of floods — possibly in association with CHIBCHACHUM.
As punishment for her crimes against humanity, she was transformed into the Moon. Or — if you prefer a different version of the legend — an owl. Or possibly the owl in the moon, or an owl that moons.
She was known to be on friendly terms with CHIBCHACHUM, but the rumor mill has long since closed down.

Muisca indigenous people[edit]

Main articles: Muisca people and Muisca mythology

The Muisca occupied the highlands of Cundinamarca and Boyacá departments of Colombia in two migrations from outlying lowland areas, one starting ~1270BCE, and a second between 800BCE and 500BCE. At those times, other more ancient civilizations also flourished in the highlands.

In the mythology of the Muisca, Mnya the Gold or golden color, represents the energy contained in the trinity of Chiminigagua, which constitutes the creative power of everything that exists.^[1] Chiminigagua is, along with Bachué, Cuza, Chibchacum, Bochica, and Nemcatacoa, one of the creators of the universe.

The tribal ceremony[edit]

The Zipa used to cover his body in gold dust and, from hisraft, he offered treasures to the Guatavita goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. This old Muisca tradition became the origin of the El Dorado legend. This Balsa Muisca (Muisca raft) figure is on display in the Gold Museum, Bogotá, Colombia.

The original narrative can be found in the rambling chronicle, El Carnero, of Juan Rodriguez Freyle. According to Freyle, the king or chief priest of the Muisca, in a ritual at Lake Guatavita near present-dayBogotá was said to be covered with gold dust which he then washed off in the lake while his attendants threw trinkets made of gold, emeralds and precious stones into the lake.

In 1638, Freyle wrote this account of the ceremony, addressed to the cacique or governor of Guatavita:^{[Note 1]}^[2]

The ceremony took place on the appointment of a new ruler. Before taking office, he spent some time secluded in a cave, without women, forbidden to eat salt, or to go out during daylight. The first journey he had to make was to go to the great lagoon of Guatavita, to make offerings and sacrifices to the demon which they worshipped as their god and lord. During the ceremony which took place at the lagoon, they made a raft of rushes, embellishing and decorating it with the most attractive things they had. They put on it four lighted braziers in which they burned much moque, which is the incense of these natives, and also resin and many other perfumes. The lagoon was large and deep, so that a ship with high sides could sail on it, all loaded with an infinity of men and women dressed in fine plumes, golden plaques and crowns.... As soon as those on the raft began to burn incense, they also lit braziers on the shore, so that the smoke hid the light of day.

At this time, they stripped the heir to his skin, and anointed him with a sticky earth on which they placed gold dust so that he was completely covered with this metal. They placed him on the raft ... and at his feet they placed a great heap of gold and emeralds for him to offer to his god. In the raft with him went four principal subject chiefs, decked in plumes, crowns, bracelets, pendants and ear rings all of gold. They, too, were naked, and each one carried his offering .... when the raft reached the centre of the lagoon, they raised a banner as a signal for silence.

The gilded Indian then ... [threw] out all the pile of gold into the middle of the lake, and the chiefs who had accompanied him did the same on their own accounts. ... After this they lowered the flag, which had remained up during the whole time of offering, and, as the raft moved towards the shore, the shouting began again, with pipes, flutes and large teams of singers and dancers. With this ceremony the new ruler was received, and was recognised as lord and king.

This is the ceremony that became the famous El Dorado, which has taken so many lives and fortunes.

We also have this account by poet-priest and historian of the Conquest Juan de Castellanos, who had served under Jimenez de Quesada in his campaign against the Muiscas, written in the mid-16th century but not published until 1850:^[3]

The Quest of El Dorado

An alien Indian, hailing from afar,
Who in the town of Quito did abide.
And neighbor claimed to be of Bogata,
There having come, I know not by what way,
Did with him speak and solemnly announce
A country rich in emeralds and gold.

Also, among the things which them engaged,
A certain king he told of who, disrobed,
Upon a lake was wont, aboard a raft,
To make oblations, as himself had seen,
His regal form overspread with fragrant oil
On which was laid a coat of powdered gold
From sole of foot unto his highest brow,
Resplendent as the beaming of the sun.

Arrivals without end, he further said,
Were there to make rich votive offerings
Of golden trinkets and of emeralds rare
And divers other of their ornaments;
And worthy credence these things he affirmed;
The soldiers, light of heart and well content,
Then dubbed him El Dorado, and the name
By countless ways was spread throughout the world.

"He went about all covered with powdered gold, as casually as if it were powdered salt. For it seemed to him that to wear any other finery was less beautiful, and that to put on ornaments or arms made of gold worked by hammering, stamping, or by other means, was a vulgar and common thing." Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Spanish Historian, 1478-1557

From ritual to myth and metaphor[edit]

El Dorado is applied to a legendary story in which precious stones were found in fabulous abundance along with gold coins. The concept of El Dorado underwent several transformations, and eventually accounts of the previous myth were also combined with those of a legendary lost city. The resulting El Dorado myth enticed European explorers for two centuries. Among the earliest alleged stories was the one told on his death bed by "Martinez", ammunitioner for Spanish adventurer Diego de Ordaz, who claimed to have been rescued from shipwreck, conveyed inland, and entertained by "El Dorado" himself (1531).^{[citation needed]}(Antonio de Berrio, then acting governor of Trinidad, official copy of the records of San Juan de Puerto Rico, as recounted by Sir Walter Raleigh.) The fable of Juan Martinez was founded on the adventures of Juan Martin de Albujar, well known to the Spanish historians of the Conquest; and who, in the expedition of Pedro de Silva (1570), fell into the hands of the Caribs of the Lower Orinoco)

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans, still fascinated by and ignorant of the New World, believed that a hidden city of immense wealth existed. Many searched for this treasure, in quests that ended in the loss of countless lives. The illustration of El Dorado's location on maps only made matters worse, as it made some people think that the city of El Dorado's existence had been confirmed. The mythical city of El Dorado on Lake Parime was marked on English and other maps until its existence was disproved by Alexander von Humboldt during his Latin-America expedition (1799–1804)^[4]

Meanwhile, the name of El Dorado came to be used metaphorically of any place where wealth could be rapidly acquired. It was given to El Dorado County, California, and to towns and cities in various states. It has also been anglicized to the single word Eldorado.

El Dorado is also sometimes used as a metaphor to represent an ultimate prize or "Holy Grail" that one might spend one's life seeking. It could represent true love, heaven, happiness, or success. It is used sometimes as a figure of speech to represent something much sought after that may not even exist, or, at least, may not ever be found. Such use is evident in Poe's poem "El Dorado". In this context, El Dorado bears similarity to other myths such as the Fountain of Youth and Shangri-la. The other side of the ideal quest metaphor may be represented by Helldorado, a satirical nickname given to Tombstone, Arizona (United States) in the 1880's by a disgruntled miner who complained that many of his profession had traveled far to find El Dorado, only to wind up washing dishes in restaurants.^{[citation needed]}

Prelude: gold and greed[edit]

Spanish conquistadores had noticed the native people's fine artifacts of gold and silver long before any legend of "golden men" or "lost cities" fired the imagination of kings and commoners alike. The prevalence of such valuable artifacts, and the natives apparent ignorance of their value, inspired speculation as to a plentiful source for them.

Prior to the time of Spanish conquest of the Muisca people and discovery of Lake Guatavita, a handful of expeditions had set out to explore the lowlands to the east of the mighty Andes in search of gold, cinnamon, precious stones, and anything else of value.

During the Klein-Venedig period in Venezuela (1528–1546), agents of the German Welser banking family (which had received a concession from Charles I of Spain), starting with German conquistador Ambrosius Ehinger's first expedition in July of 1529, launched repeated expeditions into the interior of the country in search of gold.^{[citation needed]} German conquistador Nikolaus Federmann had spent years in the late 1530’s searching the Colombian plateaus, Orinoco Basin and Venezuelan lowlands searching in vain for El Dorado. Then there was Philipp von Hutten (1541–1545), who led an exploring party from Coro on the coast of Venezuela.

Spanish explorer Diego de Ordaz, then governor of the eastern part of Venezuela known as Paria. was the first European to explore the Orinoco river in 1531-32 in search of gold. A veteran of Cortez's campaign in Mexico, Ordaz followed the Orinoco beyond the mouth of the Meta River but was blocked by the rapids at Atures. After his return he died, possibly poisoned, on a voyage back to Spain.

The Search for El Dorado[edit]

The earliest reference to the name El Dorado was in 1535 or 1536, before Spanish contact with the Muisca people.

In 1535, Captains Anasco and Ampudia were dispatched by Spanish conquistador Sebastian de Belalcazar, one of Francisco Pizarro's chief lieutenants, to discover the valley of Dorado in pursuit of the splendid riches of the Zaque, or chieftain of Cundinamarca, described by a wandering Indian of Tacumga.

After the death of Ordaz while returning from his expedition, the Crown appointed a new Governor of Paria, Jeronimo Ortal, who diligently explored the interior along the Meta River between 1532 and 1537. In 1535 he ordered Captain Alonso de Herrera to move inland by the waters of the Uyapari (today the town of Barrancas de Orinoco). Herrera, who had accompanied Ordaz three years before, explored the Meta River but was killed by Achagua Indians near its banks while waiting out the winter rains in Casanare.

In 1536 Gonzalo Díaz de Pineda had led an expedition to the lowlands to the east of Quito and had found cinnamon trees but no rich empire.

Quesada brothers' expeditions[edit]

It was stories of El Dorado that in 1537 drew the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada and his army of 800 men away from their mission to find an overland route to Peru and up into the Andean homeland of the Muisca for the first time. A little further to the north, Spanish conquistador Hernán Pérez de Quesada (brother of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada) set out in September of 1540 with a large party of 270 Spaniards and countless Indian porters to explore the Orinoco Basin, but they likewise found nothing before turning around and returning to Bogotá. Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada also led another expedition starting from Bogotá in 1569 to conquer territory east of the Andes^{[relevant? – discuss]}.

The Muisca towns and their treasures quickly fell to the conquistadores. At the same time, the Spanish began to hear stories of El Dorado from captured natives (mostly Indians), and of the rites which used to take place at Lake Guatavita.^[specify] The Spaniards also found much gold on these natives, which led them to spread the word that El Dorado was near. The news of the gold was changed by word of mouth to the extent that it was said that the gold on these natives was proof that there was a kingdom of immense wealth in the south of the New World, or modern day South America.

Sebastin de Belalczar's expedition[edit]

Pizarro and Orellana's discovery of the Amazon[edit]

Lake Guatavita gold[edit]

Conquistadores Lázaro Fonte and Hernán Perez de Quesada attempted (unsuccessfully) to drain the lake in 1545 using a "bucket chain" of labourers. After 3 months, the water level had been reduced by 3 metres, and only a small amount of gold was recovered, with a value of 3000–4000 pesos (approx. 100,000 USD today; a peso or piece of eight of the 15th century weighs .88oz of 93% pure silver).

A later more industrious attempt was made in 1580, by Bogotá business entrepreneur Antonio de Sepúlveda. A notch was cut deep into the rim of the lake, which managed to reduce the water level by 20 metres, before collapsing and killing many of the labourers. A share of the findings—consisting of various golden ornaments, jewellery and armour—was sent to King Philip the 2nd of Spain. Sepúlveda's discovery came to approximately 12,000 pesos. He died a poor man, and is buried at the church in the small town ofGuatavita.

In 1801, Alexander von Humboldt made a visit to Guatavita, and on his return to Paris, calculated from the findings of Sepúlveda's efforts that Guatavita could offer up as much as $300 million worth of gold.

In 1898, 'The Company for the Exploitation of the Lagoon of Guatavita' was formed and taken over by 'Contractors Ltd.' of London, in a deal brokered by British expatriate Mr Hartley Knowles. The lake was drained by a tunnel that emerged in the centre of the lake. The water was drained to a depth of about 4 feet of mud and slime.^{[citation needed]} This made it impossible to explore, and when the mud had dried sitting and being baked by the sun, it had set like concrete. A haul of only £500 was found, and auctioned at Sothebys of London. Some of these artifacts were donated to the British Museum.^[5] The company filed for bankruptcy and ceased activities in 1929.

In 1965, the Colombian government designated the lake as a protected area. Private salvage operations including attempts to drain the lake, are now illegal.^{[citation needed]}

Governor Antonio de Berrio's expeditions[edit]

Spanish Governor of Trinidad, Antonio de Berrio (nephew of Jiménez de Quesada), made three expeditions to the Guyana region in 1584, 1585 and 1591.

Sir Walter Raleigh[edit]

Parime Lacus on a map by Hessel Gerritsz (1625). Situated at the west coast of the lake, the so-called city of Manõa or El Dorado

In 1595 Sir Walter Raleigh set sail following one of the many old maps to El Dorado, aiming to reach Lake Parime in the highlands of Guyana (the supposed location of El Dorado at the time). He was encouraged by the account of Juan Martinez, believed to be Juan Martin de Albujar, who had taken part in Pedro de Silva's expedition of the area in 1570, only to fall into the hands of the Caribs of the Lower Orinoco. Martinez claimed that he was taken to the golden city in blindfold, was entertained by the natives, and then left the city and couldn't remember how to return.^[6] Raleigh had set many goals for his expedition, and believed he had a genuine chance at finding the so-called city of gold. First, he wanted to find the mythical city of El Dorado, which he suspected to be an actual Indian city named Manõa. Second, he hoped to establish an English presence in the Southern Hemisphere that could compete with that of the Spanish. His third goal was to create an English settlement in the land called Guyana, and to try to reduce commerce between the natives and Spaniards.

Though Sir Walter Raleigh never found El Dorado, he was convinced that there was some fantastic city whose riches could be discovered. Finding gold on the riverbanks and in villages only strengthened his resolve.^[7] In 1617, he returned to the New World on a second expedition, this time with his son, Watt Raleigh, to continue his quest for El Dorado. However, Sir Walter Raleigh, by now an old man, stayed behind in a camp on the island ofTrinidad. Watt Raleigh was killed in a battle with Spaniards. Overall, the second expedition was a disaster. Upon Raleigh's return to England, King James ordered him to be beheaded for disobeying orders to avoid conflict with the Spanish.^[8] He was executed in 1618.

Post Elizabethan expeditions[edit]

In 1637-38, Acana and Fritz, two monks, severally undertook journeys to the lands of the Manoas.

In 1740, Don Manuel Centurion, Governor of San Thome del Angostura, embarked upon the Caura and Rio Paragua, encountered the most dreadful sufferings and occassioned the deaths of several hundred persons. Their survey of the local geography, however, provided the basis of another set of expeditions starting in 1775.

In 1775 to 1780, Nicholas Rodriguez and Antonio Santos, two entrepreneurs employed by the Spanish Governors, set out on foot and reached the Uraricuera and Rio Branco, but of course found nothing.

Epilogue: gold strikes and the extractive wealth of the rainforest[edit]

By the mid-1570's, the Spanish silver strike at Potosí in Upper Peru (modern Bolivia) was producing unprecedented real wealth.

In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died, bringing to an end the era of Elizabethan adventurism. A bit later, in 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, the great inspirer, was beheaded for what was ostensibly insubordination (and not the least propagating tales of improbable and unattainable kingdoms of gold and emeralds while expending lives and the king's fortune on fruitless and disastrous expeditions).

In 1695, bandeirantes in the south struck gold along a tributary of the São Francisco River in the highlands of State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The prospect of real gold overshadowed the illusory promise of "gold men" and "lost cities" in the vast interior of the north.

Between 1799 and 1804, Alexander Humboldt conducted an extensive and scientific survey of the Guyana river basins and lakes, concluding that seasonally flooded confluence of rivers may be what inspired the notion of a mythical lake, and of the supposed golden city on the shore, nothing remained.

It appears today that the Muisca obtained their gold in trade, and while possessed in passing of great quantities of it over time, no great store of the metal was ever accumulated.

Evidence for the existence of Lake Parime[edit]

Dismissed in the 19th century as a myth, some evidence for the existence of a lake in northern Brazil has been uncovered. In 1977 Brazilian geologists Gert Woeltje and Frederico Guimarães Cruz along with Roland Stevenson^[9] found that on all the surrounding hillsides a horizontal line appears at a uniform level approximately 120 metres (390 ft) above sea level.^[10] This line registers the water level of an extinct lake which existed until relatively recent times. Researchers who studied it found that the lake's previous diameter measured 400 kilometres (250 mi) and its area was about 80,000 square kilometres (31,000 sq mi). About 700 years ago this giant lake began to drain due to tectonic movement and by the early 19th century it had dried up.^[11] Roraima's well-known Pedra Pintada is the site of numerous pictograms dating to the Pre-Columbian era. Designs on the sheer exterior face of the rock were most likely painted by people standing in canoes on the surface of the now-vanished lake.^[12] Gold which was reported to be washed up on the shores of the lake, was most likely carried by streams and rivers out of the mountains where it can be found today.^[

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