View source for Religion:Huitaca (goddess)

{{short description|Goddess in Muisca religion of South America}}
{{Infobox deity
| type         = Muisca
| name         = Huitaca
| deity_of     = Witchcraft, sexual liberation,<br>arts, dance, music and Moon
| member_of    = Muisca religion
| image        = Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769).jpg
| alt          = 
| caption      = Huitaca was cursed by Bochica<br>and turned into a white owl<!--Tyto alba is "lechuza" in Spanish-->
| other_names  = '''Xubchasgagua'''
| hiro         = 
| script_name  = 
| script       = 
| affiliation  = Chía<br>Bachué<br>Nencatacoa<br>Chaquén
| cult_center  = 
| abode        = 
| planet       = 
| mantra       = 
| weapon       = 
| battles      = 
| artifacts    = 
| animals      = Owl
| symbol       = 
| day          = 
| color        = 
| number       = 
| consort      = 
| parents      = 
| siblings     = 
| offspring    = 
| army         =
| mount        = 
| texts        = 
| Greek_equivalent     = 
| Roman_equivalent     = 
| Etruscan_equivalent  = 
| Christian_equivalent = 
| Slavic_equivalent    = 
| Hinduism_equivalent  = 
| region       = Altiplano Cundiboyacense
| ethnic_group = Muisca
| festivals    = 
}}
'''Huitaca''' or '''Xubchasgagua''' was a rebelling [[Religion:Deity|goddess]] in the religion of the Muisca.<ref name=p45>Ocampo López, 2013, Ch. 6, p.45</ref> The Muisca and their confederation were one of the four advanced civilizations of the [[Earth:Americas|Americas]] who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the [[Place:Andes|Andes]]. Huitaca has been described by the chroniclers Juan de Castellanos in his ''Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias'',<ref name=p46>Ocampo López, 2013, Ch. 6, p.46</ref> Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita<ref name=p47>Ocampo López, 2013, Ch. 6, p.47</ref> and Pedro Simón.<ref name=p48>Ocampo López, 2013, Ch. 6, p.48</ref>

== Spellings and names ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* Huitaca<ref name=p45/>
* Huythaca<ref name=p47/>
* Guitaca<ref name=p48/>
* Xubchasgagua<ref name=p45/>
* Jubchrasguaya<ref name=p46/>
* Yubecayguaya<ref name=p47/>
}}

== Description ==
Huitaca was the goddess of arts, dance and music,<ref>Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.221</ref><ref>{{es}} 2012 - [http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-5089300 Huitaca, la diosa muisca en el Palacio Liévano] - El Tiempo - accessed 28-04-2016</ref> witchcraft, sexual liberation and the Moon.<ref name=medium>{{es}} 2015 - [https://medium.com/laguna-serpiente/huitaca-y-el-arquetipo-de-la-diosa-rebelde-desde-la-antiguedad-hasta-nuestros-d%C3%ADas-309b063fbfed#.y8hw2ban7 Huitaca y el arquetipo de la diosa rebelde desde la antiguedad hasta nuestros días] - accessed 28-04-2016</ref>
According to the Muisca legends Huitaca was a goddess of extreme beauty who praised a life full of joy, games, pleasure and drunkenness who was rebelling against Bochica upon which he turned her into a white owl.<ref name=p45/>

Some chroniclers state Huitaca was another name for Moon goddess Chía<ref>{{es}} [http://pueblosoriginarios.com/sur/caribe/muisca/chia.html Chía: Moon goddess] - Pueblos Originarios - accessed 28-04-2016</ref><ref>{{es}} [http://cuantoconocesdechia.jimdo.com/origen-e-historia/mitos-leyendas/ Chía: mitos y leyendas] - accessed 28-04-2016</ref> or Bachué, mother goddess of the Muisca.<ref name=medium/>

=== Huitaca in modern art ===
Sculptor Julia Merizalde Price has made a sculpture honouring Huitaca, picturing her after the curse of Bochica.<ref>{{es}} [http://www.juliamerizaldeprice.com/avada_portfolio/huitaca-diosa-muisca/ Sculpture Huitaca] - accessed 28-04-2016</ref><br>Photographer Carlos Saavedra has made an exposition showing different indigenous women of Colombia in his search for Huitaca.<ref>{{es}} 2012 - [https://palabrademujer.wordpress.com/tag/diosa-huitaca/ Las hijas de la diosa chibcha 'Huitaca'] - accessed 28-04-2016</ref>

=== Named after Huitaca ===
* ''Huitaca'', a genus of ''[[Biology:Opiliones|Opiliones]]''<ref>{{wikispecies-inline|Huitaca}}</ref>
** ''[[Biology:Huitaca boyacaensis|Huitaca boyacaensis]]'', a species in this genus, species name derived from Boyacá, former Muisca territory
** ''Huitaca ventralis'', the type species of the genus ''Huitaca''
** ''Huitaca bitaco''
** ''Huitaca caldas''
** ''Huitaca depressa''
** ''Huitaca sharkeyi''
** ''Huitaca tama''

== See also ==
*Muisca women

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite LSA |last=Ocampo López |first=Javier |year=2013 |title=Mitos y leyendas indígenas de Colombia - Indigenous myths and legends of Colombia |location=Bogotá, Colombia |publisher=Plaza & Janes Editores Colombia S.A. |isbn=978-958-14-1416-1 |pages=1-219 |language=es}}
* {{cite LSA |last=Ocampo López |first=Javier |year=2007 |title=Grandes culturas indígenas de América - Great indigenous cultures of the Americas |location=Bogotá, Colombia |publisher=Plaza & Janes Editores Colombia S.A. |isbn=978-958-14-0368-4 |pages=1–238 |language=es}}


{{subject bar |portal1=Colombia}}

[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]

{{Sourceattribution|Huitaca (goddess)|1}}