| Monster of Lake Tota | |
| Folklore: | Muisca mythology |
| Country: | Muisca Confederation |
| Region: | Altiplano Cundiboyacense Colombia |
| Habitat: | Lake Tota |
The Monster of Lake Tota is a legendary aquatic animal known in many works Spanish; Castilian: diablo ballena|lit=devil whale|label=as. The monster is an inhabitant of Lake Tota in present-day Colombia, according to the Muisca, who inhabited the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. The earliest reference in modern history was made by the conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. He described the monster as "A fish with a black head like an ox and larger than a whale" (Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita, 1676) and Antonio de Alcedo, 1788[1])). The monster was also defined as "a monstrous fish", "a black monster",[2] and even as "the Dragon" and as a "divine animal archetype" (2012).[3]
The description of the monster of Lake Tota is limited to historical references and what is known within the study of Muisca mythology.[4] [5] A report of an alleged sighting took place in 1652. The legend of the monster of Lake Tota also analyzed using cryptozoology with ties to cases such as the Loch Ness monster (Nessie) in Scotland, the monster of Lake Nahuel Huapi (Nahuelito) in Argentina, or "The Hide" of the Mapuche mythology in Argentina and Chile (a serpent monster made of various animal hides).
In 1676 (August 12), the Colombian priest and historian Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita (Bogotá, 1624 - Panama, 1688), as requested by the Bishop of Santa Marta, presented his General History of the Conquest of the New Kingdom of Granada: the SCRM d. King Charles II of Spain and the Indies, in which Chapter I, paragraph 13, contains the following statements of a monstrous being on Lake Tota:When referring to a sighting, an additional citation brings certainty to the matter:
The French explorer and diplomat Gaspard Théodore Mollien (Paris, August 29, 1796 - Nice, June 28, 1872), recorded in his book The Journey of Gaspard Théodore Mollien by the Republic of Colombia in 1823, in Chapter V, the following:
In 1852, Colombian writer, politician, teacher and journalist Manuel Ancízar (Fontibon, December 25, 1812 - Bogota, May 21, 1882); within the works led by Agustin Codazzi, carried out the Corográfica Commission and recorded in his book The Pilgrimage Alpha for the northern provinces of New Granada in 1850-1851 (Alpha was the pseudonym of Ancízar), a reference to the diabloballena monster of Lake Tota that cited Piedrahita's General History of the Conquest of the New Kingdom of Granada: the SCRM d.King Charles II of Spain and the Indians, in Chapter XXIV, paragraph 5:In the end, Ancízar declared, without discrediting the monster referred to by Piedrahita or exposing any evidence, his doubts about the accuracy of the monster and began to raise his initiative to practice draining Lake Tota to increase the agricultural frontier. He ends the paragraph in reference by stating:
Meanwhile, Colombian botanist, explorer and physician José Jerónimo Triana (Bogota, May 22, 1828 - Paris, October 31, 1890), a member of the Corográfica Commission of Ancízar, also references the issue. A summary of the book Myths, legends, traditions and folklore of Lake Tota (Lilia Montaña de Silva, Edition La Rana y El Águila, UPTC Tunja, 1970, p. 46-47) states:Additional notes on this part:A concrete reference to the "black monster" of Lake Tota:
When discussing the issue of the monster of Lake Tota in regards to Muisca ancestry, it must be placed in the context of their respective culture. This culture was independent, as advanced as the better known Inca and Maya civilizations and very different from the colonial thought that arrived with the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th century.
Stories of the mythical origin of Lake Tota mention that “Monetá", the wise old indigenous priest, was preparing the "already extensive and powerful Muisca Confederation" to "exorcise the cruel and evil spirit, Busiraco" in the ancient cavity that now forms Lake Tota. Here's mention of the monstrous animal that lived there:The ceremony spell against Busiraco aimed at resolving the suffering of summer and water shortages, led to the creation of Lake Tota; the monster is also mentioned as a snake, when he was fatally attacked:thumb|Monument of Bochica in the municipality Cuitiva (Boyacá)The "black snake" and the creation of the lake: