The Symbolic Landscape of the Muiscas

The symbolic vision of the landscape of the Andes, still shared by several indigenous peoples who have preserved their traditional worldview, is exposed, based on the example of the Muiscas or Chibchas, and similarities with other non-Andean indigenous peoples, such as the Kogis and Ikus, all of them in Colombia. The article weaves stories from the chronicles of the Spanish ‘conquistadores’ with contemporary descriptions. It includes reflections on the operative function of the symbolic worldview, which sustains the links these peoples have with the invisible levels of reality and the beings that live there.