In the centuries before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, Sáchica was ruled by a cacique loyal to the zaque of Hunza. Evidence of long inhabitation has been found in the form of petroglyphs made by the Muisca who were organized in the Muisca Confederation. The Muisca had their own religion where their main gods were Sué (the Sun) and Chía; the Moon. In Sáchica monuments to both celestial bodies have been constructed.
Modern Sáchica was founded on July 16, 1556, by Juan Velasco and Carlos Rojas.[1] In 1574 a total of 2500 indigenous people were living in Sáchica, presently only 5% is indigenous, the remainder mestizo.[1]
In the Chibcha language of the Muisca, Sáchica means "our present domain",[2] "fortress" or "mansion of the sovereign".[1]
Rock art
Rock art in SáchicaPictographs
In a rock shelter in Sáchica, rock art in the form of pictographs has been discovered. The archaeologist Eliécer Silva Celis pioneered in the study of them in the 1960s. Later research has been performed by Carl Henrik Langebaek, Diego Martínez, Álvaro Botiva, Pedro Argüello García, and others. The black, red and white rock art is present at an altitude of 2,210 m (7,250 ft) at 5°35′29.058″N73°31′15.926″W / 5.59140500°N 73.52109056°W / 5.59140500; -73.52109056 and shows human faces, Suns, maize, eyes, mountains, masks, and other figures.[3] The rock art has been produced in rock shelters of Lower Cretaceous formations.[4]
Paleontology
Fossilized skeleton of pliosauridSachicasaurus vitae almost 10 m long was found in the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) deposits near Sáchica. The generic name of this animal refers to Sáchica while the species epithet is meaning "life" in reference to "the vitality that this fossil has given to the Sáchica village since its discovery". Despite its large size, the found individual of Sachicasaurus is not an adult.[5]
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