Practices and problems surrounding water of the muisca culture in Boyacá

Abstract

his article seeks to describe the representations and ancestral practices surrounding water within the Muisca culture as well as expose the environmental problems faced by Indigenous and peasant communities in relation to water resources in the department of Boyacá. The research was carried out in three territories which are of ancestral importance for the Muisca peoples: the Fauna and Flora Sanctuary of Iguaque, in the vicinity of Villa de Leyva and Arcabuco; the Páramo de Ocetá, surrounding the municipalities of Mongüa and Monguí; and Lake Tota, in the vicinity of the municipalities of Cuítiva and Aquitania. The investigation counted on the accompaniment and specialized guidance of the Cabildo Mayor Muisca Chibcha Boyacá and the governor Xieguazinsa Ingativa Neusa, thematic advisor for the project. The research was approached from the methodology of visual anthropology and ethnographic documentary, which study cultural manifestations of human groups by incorporating audiovisual media and photography as forms of research. Primary information was collected through semi-structured interviews and guided tours which allowed the Indigenous and peasant groups to narrate their own stories. This was done in benefit of processes that seek to recover memory within these communities, and as a way to visualize the environmental problems caused by mining, deforestation, and mass tourism that are faced by inhabitants of the visited territories.