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El Infiernito

Villa de Leyva

8 story sections

archaeoastronomical site in Colombia

History & cultureBY TELLBY

Contents

8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines
  1. 1El Infiernito

    Welcome, esteemed travelers and scholars, to the profound and enigmatic grounds of El Infiernito, a site whose official anthropological designation is the Observatorio Solar Muisca. As we stand at the threshold of this…

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  2. 2The Muisca Cosmic Worldview

    As we move further into the complex, it is essential to understand the philosophical and cosmological framework of the Muisca people. The Muisca did not view the heavens and the earth as separate entities; rather, they perceived…

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  3. 3The Monolithic Columns

    We now approach the most visually striking feature of El Infiernito: the rows of monolithic columns aligned with striking precision. These stones, carved from the local bedrock, stand as silent sentinels of time. …

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  4. 4The Solar and Lunar Calendars

    Let us delve deeper into the mechanics of the Muisca calendar system, which was fundamentally rooted in the observations made right here at this specific location. The Muisca utilized a complex lunisolar calendar, recognizing…

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  5. 5The Phallic Symbols and Mother Earth

    As we navigate to the northern sector of the complex, we encounter a fascinating and culturally profound aspect of El Infiernito: the phallic monuments. These stones, distinctly carved to represent the male reproductive organ,…

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  6. 6The Valley of Saquencipa

    Standing here, let us pivot our focus outward to the magnificent Valley of Saquencipa that cradles this observatory. The location of El Infiernito was not chosen at random. …

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  7. 7Eliecer Silva Celis and Excavation History

    Our final specific area of focus brings us to the history of the site's modern rediscovery and preservation, inextricably linked to the pioneering Colombian anthropologist Eliecer Silva Celis. In the mid twentieth century, this…

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  8. 8El Infiernito

    As we conclude our comprehensive scholarly tour of the Observatorio Solar Muisca, I encourage you to take a final, sweeping look across the aligned columns and the expansive Valley of Saquencipa. We have journeyed through the…

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What is El Infiernito?

El Infiernito is a place in Villa de Leyva with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.

Key facts
LocationVilla de Leyva
TypeHeritage
Story sections8
Text languageEnglish
Coordinates5.6474, -73.5587
Last updated

Nearby places

within a 5-minute walk
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