Goranchacha
Folklore | Muisca mythology |
---|---|
Other name(s) | Son of the Sun |
Country | Muisca Confederation |
Region | Altiplano Cundiboyacense Colombia |
Details | Ramiriquí, Hunza |
Goranchacha was a
Background
In the centuries before the arrival of the
, the goddess of the Moon.Mythography
According to the Muisca legends, the Sun wanted to reincarnate in human form and performed this via a maid of the village of
They laid down naked under the Sun, waiting to be inseminated by the sunbeams. One of them became pregnant and after nine months bore a very large and pure emerald. The daughter of the cacique took the emerald and wrapped it in cloths to wear it between her breasts during a couple of days. Finally the emerald converted into a boy, who they named Goranchacha, son of the Sun.[2]
On his 24th birthday, the son of the Sun decided to travel across the Muisca territories preaching the wise lessons of the messenger god and educator Bochica, which made him a prophet. In Ramiriquí, Sugamuxi, sacred city of the Sun, and in other villages Goranchacha was received as religious leader. When the leader of Ramiriquí, then capital of the northern Muisca, hurt one of his lovers, Goranchacha returned from his travels to the village, killed the leader and took over the throne. He selected a group of servants to his power. One of them was the town crier, an Indian with a long tail, who became the second-in-command of the city.[2]
Goranchacha's rule was harsh and executed fierce punishments for small offenses. He moved the capital of the northern Muisca from Ramiriquí to
Like was present in Sugamuxi, Goranchacha ordered the construction of another Sun Temple in Hunza. For that he demanded materials would be brought from the farthest regions of his reign. On the location where the temple allegedly was constructed is currently the seat of the
Goranchacha's assistant, the Indian with a tail like a jaguar, helped him with all the activities. One day they gathered all the people ruled from Hunza and Goranchacha prophesied that one day strong and ferocious men would come who would make the people slaves, abuse them and make them work for them [the Spanish conquistadores]. Goranchacha told his people he would leave and return after a few years to see them again. He left but never returned. The jaguar-tailed Indian also left; he turned into smoke.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.13 p.79
- ^ a b c Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.13 p.80
- ^ (in Spanish) Arqueología del cercado grande de los santuarios - Banco de la República - accessed 29-04-2016
- ^ Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.13 p.81
- ^ (in Spanish) Mythography Goranchacha - Pueblos Originarios - accessed 29-04-2016
- ^ Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.13 p.82
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-958-14-1416-1.