Bachué

The goddess Bachué (in Chibcha language: "the one with the naked breast") is a mother goddess that, according to the Muisca religion, is the mother of humanity. She emerged of the waters in the Iguaque Lake with a baby in her arms, who grew to become her husband and populated the Earth. She received worship in a temple, in the area now within the municipality of Chíquiza, formerly called "San Pedro de Iguaque”.

Bachué
Mother goddess
Member of Muisca religion
Statue of Bachué in Medellín
Other names	Furachogua
Affiliation	Chiminigagua (supreme being)
Region	Altiplano Cundiboyacense
Ethnic group	Muisca
Equivalents
Christian equivalent	Eve
Etruscan equivalent	Uni
Greek equivalent	Gaea
Hindu equivalent	Durga
Norse equivalent	Frigg
Roman equivalent	Cybele
Slavic equivalent	Mokosh

The legend tells that after she accomplished the goal of giving birth to humanity, Bachué and her husband, the parrot god, became snakes and returned to the sacred lagoon. The history of Bachué was mentioned by the Spanish chronicler Pedro Simón in his book Noticias Historiales, where he wrote that the indigenous people also called her "Furachogua" (Chibcha for "the good woman"), and worshipped her as one of their main deities. Simón also mentions that the Muisca believed that Bachué sometimes came back from the underworld to guide her people.

See also

• Muisca women
• Rómulo Rozo – sculptor of Bachué, goddess generatriz of the Chibchas

References