This sculpture shows what must be a seated cacique (chieftain or religious leader), adorned with a necklace and a large headdress, the lateral flanges of which have broken off. Spaced evenly around his body are four vertical posts, indicating that he is positioned within an enclosure. This is highly significant and provides fundamental support for our interpretation of caciques as both political leaders and spiritual intermediaries.
The frequent representations of caciques within enclosures reflect their central role in Muisca sociopolitical and spiritual life. These enclosures, typically circular homesteads surrounded by wooden poles, were focal points of community organization and hierarchy. For practical reasons, they were built on slightly elevated areas to protect them from flooding by the various rivers, wetlands, and swamps characteristic of the region around Bogotà. For spiritual reasons, they were organized internally as microcosms, and at the very center of the enclosure stood the cacique’s house.
Indigenous people of the Americas know that nature’s equilibrium is precarious, and there is thus a constant need to reaffirm, negotiate, heal, and reciprocate to maintain balance in the universe. Among the Muisca, caciques are responsible for the well-being of their communities, and thus for managing the interactions and relationships that sustain life—with the earth, other people, plant and animal communities, weather phenomena, and supernatural beings. Moreover, being symbolically and literally at the center of their communities, leaders form an axis mundi—the symbolic sacred center that connects the three cosmic levels of heaven, earth, and the underworld. As explained by Arhuaco elder Mamo Camilo, “In creation there are energies of all kinds; good, bad, neutral. Energetic power is to bring order.” The serene expression and central, seated position of this figure expresses this concept perfectly.