| Sué | |
|---|---|
Sun | |
| Member ofMuisca religion | |
 Sué setting behindBogotá | |
| Other names | Xué,Sua,Zuhe,Suhé |
| Affiliation | Chiminigagua (light) Cuchavira (rainbow) Chibchacum (rain) |
| Major cult center | Sun Temple,Sugamuxi |
| Day | Summer solstice |
| Region | Altiplano Cundiboyacense |
| Ethnic group | Muisca |
| Consort | Chía (Moon) |
| Equivalents | |
| Etruscan | Usil |
| Greek | Helios |
| Hindu | Surya |
| Norse | Sól |
| Roman | Sol |
| Slavic | Dazhbog |
Sué,Xué,Sua,Zuhe orSuhé[1] was thegod of theSun in thereligion of the Muisca. He was married toMoon goddessChía.[2][3] TheMuisca and theirconfederation were one of the four advanced civilizations of theAmericas;they developed their own religion on theAltiplano Cundiboyacense in theAndes. Both the Sun and rain, impersonated byChibchacum, were very important for theiragriculture.
After the creation of light and the world byChiminigagua he created Chía and Sué to represent the Moon and the Sun respectively.SpanishconquistadorGonzalo Jiménez de Quesada wrote about the Muisca: "they have the Sun and the Moon as breeders of all the things and believe they are together as husband and wife having created the councils".[2]
While Chía was related to thezipas of the southernMuisca Confederation, Sué was governing thezaques of the northern Muisca.[4] Also thecacique ofRamiriquí was related to Sué.[5]
Sué was worshipped in theTemple of the Sun inSugamuxi, currently known as Sogamoso, City of the Sun. Other temples attributed to Sué were inBacatá andGuatavita.[6] The original Sun Temple in Sogamoso has been destroyed by torch fires of the Spanish conquerors.[7]
On thedate of thesummer solstice, the Muisca nobles went in a procession to the temples where they made sacrifices to ask for blessings of the yearly harvests. The day was celebrated with grand fesitivies by the people who painted their bodies and got drunk withchicha. They also adored their own shadows as they believed that Sué gave them their own personal god that they carried with them all day.[4]
