The ''iraca'', sometimes spelled ''iraka'',Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.12, p.77Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.14, p.85 was the

ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...

and high priest of

Sugamuxi Sugamuxi (died 1539) was the last '' iraca''; ''cacique'' of the sacred City of the Sun Suamox. Sugamuxi, presently called Sogamoso, was an important city in the religion of the Muisca who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the times be ...

in the

confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

of the

Muisca The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan langu ...

who inhabited the

Altiplano Cundiboyacense The Altiplano Cundiboyacense () is a high plateau located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes covering parts of the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The altiplano corresponds to the ancient territory of the Muisca. The Alt ...

; the central highlands of the Colombian

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. ''Iraca'' can also refer to the Iraka Valley over which they ruled.Life of Alexander von Humboldt - Ciudad de Santa Fe
/ref> Important scholars who wrote about the ''iraca'' were

Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita (1624, Bogotá – March 29, 1688) was a Spanish Neogranadine Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Panamá (1676–1688) ''(in Latin)'' and the Bishop of Santa Marta (1668–1676).Arzobispo de Pan ...

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...

and Ezequiel Uricoechea.

Background

In the centuries before the Spanish conquistadores entered central Colombia in the 1530s, the valleys of the

Eastern Ranges The Eastern Ranges is an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition. The club is a founding member of the competition (1992) and has produced several players for the Australian Football Leag ...

were ruled by four main leaders and several independent '' caciques''. The northern territories were ruled by the ''

zaque When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Muyquytá. The ''hoa'' was the ruler of the ...

'' from

Hunza Hunza may refer to: * Hunza, Iran * Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan ** Hunza (princely state), a former principality ** Hunza District, a recently established district ** Hunza River, a waterway ** Hunza Peak, a mou ...

, the present-day capital of Boyacá department and the southern area under the reign of the ''

zipa When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Muyquytá. The ''hoa'' was the ruler of the ...

'', based in Bacatá, currently known as the Colombian capital Bogotá. Other important rulers were the ''iraca'' and the ''cacique''

Tundama Tundama or Saymoso (15th century - Duitama, late December 1539) was a '' cacique'' of the Muisca Confederation, a loose confederation of different rulers of the Muisca who inhabited the central highlands ( Altiplano Cundiboyacense) of the C ...

based in

, today known as the city of Duitama. The Muisca were one of the four advanced civilizations of the Americas, between the

Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...

and

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, a ...

in the north and the

Incas The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

south of Colombia.

Description

The ''iraca'' was a ''cacique'' of the sacred City of the Sun Sugamuxi, present-day Sogamoso. His domain was a territory spreading over Sogamoso, Pesca, Iza, Tobasía,

Firavitoba Firavitoba is a town and municipality in Sugamuxi Province, a subregion of the department of Boyacá in Colombia. Before Spanish colonization, Firavitoba was part of the Muisca Confederation of the Chibcha people in the highlands of the Easter ...

, Busbanzá,

Toca TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The company organises and administers the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and the support series to the BTCC, sometimes known as the T ...

, Gámeza, Tota,

Mongua Mongua is a town and municipality in Sugamuxi Province in the Colombian Department of Boyacá. Mongua is situated in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes at altitudes between and . The municipality borders Gámeza, Socotá, Pisba, La ...

and areas adjacent to

Lake Tota Lake Tota ( es, Lago de Tota) is the largest lake in Colombia, located in the east of Boyacá department, inside the Sugamuxi Province, it is the source of the Upia River which flows into the Orinoco River basin. The major town on the lake is A ...

.Iraca rulers
- Pueblos Originarios The ''iraca'' was both a political and a religious leader (priest), in the

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

of the Muisca said to have descended from Idacansás and educated by messenger god

Bochica Bochica (also alluded to as Nemquetaha, Nemqueteba and Sadigua) is a figure in the religion of the Muisca, who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense during the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the central Andean highlands of present-day Co ...

. It is thought that the ''iracas'' inherited the knowledge of Bochica from their predecessors. The role of ''iraca'' was widely respected in the Muisca territories and also was important for the astronomy of the Muisca. The ''iraca'' was elected by the ''caciques'' of Gámeza, Busbanzá, Pesca and Toca. Generally a ''cacique'' from Tobasía or Firavitoba was elected alternatingly. In cases where the election was indecisive, the ''

tundama Tundama or Saymoso (15th century - Duitama, late December 1539) was a '' cacique'' of the Muisca Confederation, a loose confederation of different rulers of the Muisca who inhabited the central highlands ( Altiplano Cundiboyacense) of the C ...

'' of

would intervene. The ''iraca'' of Sugamuxi lived in the Sun Temple, the most important temple of the Muisca, built to worship the Muisca Sun god

Sué Sué, Xué, Sua, Zuhe or Suhé was the god of the Sun in the religion of the Muisca. He was married to Moon goddess Chía.Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.4, p.33 The Muisca and their confederation were one of the four advanced civilizations of the Ameri ...

, in Sugamuxi, decorated inside with

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

en figures; ''

tunjo A ''tunjo'' (from Muysccubun: ''chunso'') is a small anthropomorh or zoomorph figure elaborated by the Muisca as part of their art. ''Tunjos'' were made of gold or '' tumbaga''; a gold-silver-copper alloy. The Muisca used their ''tunjos' ...

s'' and golden plates outside.Official website Sogamoso
The Sun Temple was destroyed by fire from the torches of soldiers in the army of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, the conquistador who made first contact with the Muisca in September 1537 in search of El Dorado.Temple of the Sun - Sogamoso
- Pueblos Originarios

Known iraca

From the ages before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca little is known and much is based on

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

. Confirmed ''iraca'' were: *

Nompanim Nompanim or Nomparem (Chibcha: "Vessel of the jaguar")Biogr ...

- died early 16th century *

- died 1539

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Muisca navbox, Caciques and neighbours, state=expanded Muisca mythology and religion Muisca rulers Colombian priests 15th century in Colombia 16th century in Colombia People from Sogamoso

Background

Description

Known iraca

See also

References

Bibliography