Cacica Gaitana´s Mural

In my own investigation about our ancestors, I found an amazing history of a woman who had triggered an aborigin military resistence like never before. It took place in the year 1539 a.C, in actual Colombia.

I had chosen this topic, fourth years ago on december 2015 for a mural festival.

The wall dimensions are 4mts high by 11mts long aproximately. The graffiti says “AbyaYala”, this is an Andian word (Aymara-Puquina) that means the America’s greatness embracing the whole continent. I designed letters during the painting of the mural already told, seeking for a native aesthetic.

It was too hard to find the history about the Cacica Gaitana, I composed a lineal text of many texts of this brave heroine.

Now I want to talk about the historic legend of Cacica Gaitana

The Cacica Gaitana, knowed also as Guaitipán, was part from the Yalcon ethnic group of Timaná region (actually Colombia). She killed the spanish conqueror Pedro de Añasco, after he killed her son in front of her own eyes. She is a femenine heroine symbol that led the rebelion against the spanish conqueror between the years 1539 and 1540.

The historical facts are refered by Fray Pedro Simón, who said that Sebastian de Belalcazar discovered the Chibcha’s lands and arrived to Neiva and Popayán Valley (Where he founded Popayán and Cali) of Magdalena, where the Guacayos and Yalcon's population lived there. This location is one of the many Caribbean zones of Timaná. Pedro de Añasco obeyed Lorenzo de Aldana, who was sent as governor by Francisco Pizarro because Belalcázar, his subordinate, was traveling back to Spain from Cartagena. He wanted to claim of his land, that were taken from the spanish empire few time ago, over the New Kingdom of Granada.

In the year of 1538 Pedro de Añasco received an order to stablish a spanish settlement. The spaniards manners provoked struggles between the Yalcon population and the spanish people. Añasco wanted to set a meeting with the chief of the tribe (the chief was Gaitana’s son), but the chief ignored his proposal. Enraged, Añasco decided to execute the chief, burning him alive in his mother's prescense; her cries were not heard.

La Gaitana rebels herself against Pedro de Añasco, who was pretending to punish the native people. This action led to an enslavement of this people. She arranges a meeting with the chiefs of near lands, (paces, piramas, guanacas and yalcons) for a revenge. The execution of her son was not humiliating, but rather a beginning of an uprising on the territory. The Cacica Gaitana kept more than six thousand indians in order to attack Pedro de Añasco and his men at morning.

Six thousand yalcon warriors led by the Chief Pioanza, the most important Gaitana’s ally, and thousand of other Warriors attacked the spanish settlement and took Añasco as a prisoner. Then the Gaitana took out from him the ideals of a mother who lost her son. The Gaitana ordered to take out the eyes of Añasco and to nail a rope through his jaw out the mouth. Añasco was being dragged by the rope from market to market and from town to town, this act showed to all the native people the celebration from the victory.

When Añasco was almost dead, he was tortured before the death. After the victory, the Gaitana continues the battle, she invite all region chiefs to kill the opressors. To this event were also invited, including more than ten thousand Warriors, many of the aborigins of the region. In the last battle when almost the spanish people got out of Timaná, the plans didn't go well because the Matambo chief betrayed his own people, The Matambo said to the spaniards, the aborigins plans to attack.

The cacica Gaitana is not only an example among north and south native americans, but also a common woman willing to take power.

Bibliographical sources: http://www.mcnbiografias.com/app-bio/do/show?key=la-gaitana

http://mujericolas.blogspot.com/2013/05/la-cacica-gaitanaheroina-indigena-de.html

http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/biografias/gaitana.html