Chía is the lunar deity who guided the zipa, one of the two rulers of the Muisca Confederation which was located in the Andean highlands of what is now Colombia. 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 glacier system in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is quickly receding because of the climate crisis. These glacials sustain the rivers that feed the Orinoco and Magdalena basins, which are essential water sources for both the Venezuelan and Colombian population.
