Important Indigenous Myths of Colombia

For the Chibcha people of Colombia, activities revolved around religion and their gods, the main one being the sun whom they called Xué. In his honor there was a temple in the Iraca Valley, where the high priest of Sogamoso lived. All subjects had to attend the Sugamuxi confederation at least twice in their lives and offer presents. The moon (Chía), considered the wife of Xué, was another of the divinities to whom a special cult was rendered.

Chiminigagua, The Creator

According to the legend, Chiminigagua was the creator of the universe and is considered the supreme divinity. He threw black birds, the origin of light, into the air, which later condensed into the sun, the reflection of the moon and the rainbow, called the cuchaviva.

Bachué, Mother of Humanity

The legend tells the story of a woman (Bachué) who emerged from the Iguaque lagoon accompanied by a 3-year-old boy. With the passing of time and once the little one had grown, they celebrated their marriage and populated the earth.

When the world was populated, and they were old, they returned to the Iguaque lagoon and plunged into the waters, leaving many teachings to the natives. In their place came two large snakes.

Bochica, The Civilizer

When humanity was plunged into disorder, a venerable old man with long beards and white hair, dressed in a tunic and with a golden wand in hand, appeared in the east of the Sabana de Bogotá, at the Páramo de Chingaza Bochica.

Bochica preached and taught good customs to the inhabitants of the savannah, and dictated some moral precepts to them. The indigenous civilizer taught how to sow, build houses and weave cotton and fique, how to cook clay and make pots, how to calculate time and determine the dates for planting and harvesting.

At a time when the Sabana de Bogotá was flooded because of Chibchacún, god of the waters, Bochica invited the great caciques to accompany him to the Tequendama region. Once there, he climbed over a rainbow and hit the rocks with his rod, giving way to the waters. This is how the Salto de Tequendama was formed. As punishment, he condemned Chibchacún to carry the earth on his shoulders. The natives believed that when he got tired and shifted the great stone, tremors and earthquakes occurred.

The Legend of "El Dorado"

Many of the conquerors who set foot on American territory did so attracted by the enormous wealth of the natives. Knowledge of the religious ceremonies and solemnities in which the Chibchas threw offerings to their gods gave rise to the legend of El Dorado, which is related to the worship of water.

The lagoons were considered sacred places where ceremonies of great splendor were celebrated, during which tunjos (figures in gold) were thrown into the water to offer them to their gods.

Among the main sacred places is the Guatavita lagoon where the election of the local chief was carried out, when mounted on a gold raft he reached the center of the lagoon and immersed himself with his body completely covered in golden dust.

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