Chía ilumina El Cocuy

This work is inspired by the wordlview of the Muisca people, whose territory is the Andean highlands of what is now Colombia. Chía is the lunar deity who guided the zipa, one of the two rulers of the pre-hispanic Muisca Confederation. Chía is the triple moon goddess and she was worshipped in her three phases. On the waxing moon she was the young rebelling Huitaca, on the full moon the fertility goddess Chia, and on waning moons the wise old mother, Yubecayguaya (Bachue). In this painting, Chía is illuminating the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, a series of glaciated highlands in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. The Sierra has several high peaks, 18 of which are covered with permanent snow. There used to be more but this glacier system is quickly receding because of the climate crisis. These glacials sustain the rivers that feed the Orinoco and Magdalena basins, which are essential for both the Venezuelan and Colombian population.