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, scale, line gauge, or metre/meter stick, is an instrument used to make length measurements, whereby a length is read from a series of markings called "rules" along an edge of the device. Usually, the instr ...

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 political union of sovereign 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 the Chibcha) are indigenous peoples in Colombia and were a Pre-Columbian culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The Muisca spe ...

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. (Do not confuse with The Altiplano or the Altiplano Nariñense, both fur ...

; the central highlands of the

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

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

scholars A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminal ...

who wrote about the ''iraca'' were Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita,

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, natural history, naturalist, List of explorers, explorer, and proponent of Romanticism, Romantic philosophy and Romanticism ...

and Ezequiel Uricoechea.

Background

In the centuries before the Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

es entered central Colombia in the 1530s, the valleys of the Eastern Ranges were ruled by four main leaders and several independent ''

cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

s''. The northern territories were ruled by the '' zaque'' from Hunza, the present-day capital of Boyacá department and the southern area under the reign of the ''

zipa When the Spain, 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 Funza, Muyquytá. The ''Zaque'' was the ...

'', based in Bacatá, currently known as the Colombian capital Bogotá. Other important rulers were the ''iraca'' and the ''cacique'' Tundama based in Tundama, 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 civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

and

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writin ...

in the north and the

Incas The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilisation rose fr ...

south of Colombia.

Description

The ''iraca'' was a ''cacique'' of the sacred City of the Sun Sugamuxi, present-day

Sogamoso Sogamoso () is a city in the department of Boyacá of Colombia. It is the capital of the Sugamuxi Province, named after the original Sugamuxi. Sogamoso is nicknamed "City of the Sun", based on the original Muisca tradition of pilgrimage and ado ...

. His domain was a territory spreading over

, Pesca, Iza, Tobasía, Firavitoba,

Busbanzá Busbanzá () is a town and municipality in the Colombian Departments of Colombia, Department of Boyacá Department, Boyacá. Busbanzá is part of the Tundama Province, a subregion of Boyacá. Busbanzá is located at from Sogamoso. It borders Beté ...

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 ...

Gámeza Gámeza () is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the Sugamuxi Province, a subregion of Boyacá. The town center is located at from Sogamoso and the municipality borders Tasco and Corrales in the north, T ...

, 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, Lab ...

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

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

of the Muisca said to have descended from Idacansás and educated by messenger god Bochica. 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'' of Tundama 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 deity, god of the Sun in the Muisca religion and mythology, religion of the Muisca. He was married to Moon goddess Chía (goddess), Chía.Ocampo López, 2013, Ch.4, p.33 The Muisca people, Muisca and their Mu ...

, in Sugamuxi, decorated inside with

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

en figures; ''

tunjo A ''tunjo'' (from Chibcha language, Muysccubun: ''chunso'') is a small anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic or zoomorphism, zoomorphic figure elaborated by the Muisca people, Muisca as part of their Muisca art, art. ''Tunjos'' were made of gol ...

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 Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada y Rivera, also spelled as Ximénez and De Quezada, (; 1509 – 16 February 1579) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in northern South America, territories currently known as Colombia. He explored the territory n ...

, the conquistador who made first contact with the Muisca in September 1537 in search of

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

.Temple of the Sun - Sogamoso
- Pueblos Originarios

Known iraca

From the ages before the

Spanish conquest of the Muisca The Spanish conquest of the Muisca took place from 1537 to 1540. The Muisca people, Muisca were the inhabitants of the central Andes, Andean highlands of Colombia before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. They were organised in a loose M ...

little is known and much is based on

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

. Confirmed ''iraca'' were: * Nompanim - died early 16th century *

- died 1539

References

Bibliography

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

Background

Description

Known iraca

See also

References

Bibliography