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The Muisca Calendar: An approximation to thetimekeeping system of the ancient native people of the northeastern Andes of Colombia
1 2Manuel Arturo Izquierdo Pe˜na
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November 2008
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Dissertation presented to the D´epartament d’Anthropologie, Facult´e des ´etudessup´erieures, Universit´e de Montr´eal, as prequisite to obtain the diploma of
Maˆıtre `es Sci-ences en Anthropologie.
v.3.c
Manuel Arturo Izquierdo Pe˜na, 2008
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Note: This version contains corrections and additions to the text presented to theUniversit´e de Montr´eal. For the original version (v.2) see:
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ma.izquierdo@umontreal.ca, aizquier@gmail.com
a r X i v : 0 8 1 2 . 0 5 7 4 v 3 [ p h y s i c s . h i s t - p h ] 2 8 O c t 2 0 0 9
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R´esum´e
Le but de ce travail est d’examiner et de compl´eter le mod`ele propos´e par leprˆetre Jos´e Domingo Duquesne de Madrid (1745-1821), concernant le calendrier del’ancienne culture Muisca, situ´ee en Colombie centrale. Ce mod`ele, ´ecart´e par leschercheurs `a la fin du 19`eme si`ecle, a longtemps ´et´e consid´er´e comme une belle in-vention. Cependant, une analyse d´etaill´ee de son travail montre que l’interpr´etationdu syst`eme de gestion du temps lui fˆut rapport´e par les autochtones. Ceci peut-ˆetred´emontr´e par le biais de donn´ees ethnohistoriques et arch´eologiques confirmant queDuquesne n’est pas `a l’origine d’un tel syst`eme. Nous examinerons cette hypoth`ese`a travers, notamment, des c´er´emonies Muisca relat´ees par des chroniqueurs espag-nols du 15`eme si`ecles. Ces c´er´emonies correspondent `a un cycle astronomique deconjonctions des plan`etes Jupiter et Saturne, ce mˆeme cycle pouvant se superposerau cycle de 60 ans d´ecrit par Duquesne `a propos du si`ecle acrotome Muisca. Il enest de mˆeme pour les outils de calculs des prˆetres Muisca dont parle Duquesne. Unepierre sculpt´ee, d´ecouverte dans le village de Choachi (Cundinamarca) t´emoigne detels ´el´ements num´eriques.
Mots cl´es:
Archeoastronomie, Muiscas, Colombie, Calendrier
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Abstract
The aim of this project is to review and expand upon the model proposed by Fa-ther Jos´e Domingo Duquesne de la Madrid (1745-1821) regarding the calendar of theancient Muisca culture of the central Colombia. This model was dismissed by scholarsin the late 19th century, calling it just a simple invention of a clergyman; however, adetailed analysis of Duquesne’s work shows that his interpretation of the timekeepingsystem was based on information given to him by indigenous informers. Based onhis work, we can be derive somewhat indirectly, some aspects of the calendar thatapparently were not understood by the priest. This confirms that such a system wasnot his own invention. Ethnohistorical and archaeological evidence provide supportfor Duquesne’s calendar model. Massive Muisca ceremonies described by 15th cen-tury Spanish chroniclers, is examined, and the occurrence of such ceremonies seemto match the astronomical cycle of conjunctions of the planets Jupiter and Saturn,wich also agrees with the 60-year span described by Duquesne as the Muisca Acro-tom Century. Archaeological artifacts, such as a carved stone found in the village of Choachi (Cundinamarca) that shows numerical elements supports Duquesne’s modelthat suggests this stone was a calendar calculation tool for Muisca priests.
Keywords:
Archaeoastronomy, Muiscas, Colombia, Calendar
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