Muisca numerals

Muisca numerals were the numeric notation system used by the Muisca, one of the civilizations of the Americas before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca. Just like the Mayas, the Muisca had a vigesimal numerical system, based on multiples of twenty (Chibcha: gueta). The Muisca numerals were based on counting with fingers and toes. They had specific numbers from one to ten, yet for the numbers between eleven and nineteen they used "foot one" (11) to "foot nine" (19). The number 20 was the 'perfect' number for the Muisca which is visible in their calendar. To calculate higher numbers than 20 they used multiples of their 'perfect' number; gue-muyhica would be "20 times 4", so 80. To describe "50" they used "20 times 2 plus 10"; gue-bosa asaqui ubchihica, transcribed from guêboʒhas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ. 1619 - Muisca numbers according to Bernardo de Lugo - accessed 29-04-2016 In their calendar, which was lunisolar, they only counted from one to ten and twenty. Each number had a special meaning, related to their deities and certain animals, especially the abundant toads.Izquierdo, 2009, p.30

For the representation of their numbers they used digits inspired by their natural surroundings, especially toads; ata ("one") and aca ("nine") were both derived from the animals so abundant on the Bogotá savanna and other parts of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense where the Muisca lived in their confederation.

The most important scholars who provided knowledge about the Muisca numerals were Bernardo de Lugo (1619), Pedro Simón (17th century), Alexander von Humboldt and José Domingo Duquesne (late 18th and 19th century) and Liborio Zerda.Humboldt, 1878, Part 1Humboldt, 1878, Part 2Humboldt, 1878, Part 3Duquesne, 1795Zerda, 1883

Numerals The Muisca used a vigesimal counting system and counted primarily with their fingers and secondarily with their toes. Their system went from 1 to 10 and for higher numerations they used the prefix quihicha or qhicha, which means "foot" in their Chibcha language Muysccubun. Eleven became thus "foot one", twelve: "foot two", etc. As in the other pre-Columbian civilizations, the number 20 was special. It was the total number of all body extremities; fingers and toes. The Muisca used two forms to express twenty: "foot ten"; quihícha ubchihica or their exclusive word gueta, derived from gue, which means "house". Numbers between 20 and 30 were counted gueta asaqui ata ("twenty plus one"; 21), gueta asaqui ubchihica ("twenty plus ten"; 30). Larger numbers were counted as multiples of twenty; gue-bosa ("20 times 2"; 40), gue-hisca ("20 times 5"; 100).

The numeral symbols were first provided by Duquesne and reproduced by Humboldt, Acosta, and Zerda. These glyphs have been criticized and their authenticity questioned, as they are “practically nonexistent” in the surviving archaeological record, including the calendar stone from Choachí. Potentially, they might represent asterisms or months instead of numerals.Izquierdo Peña, 2009, pp.42-44, 118-120

+ Numbers Number Humboldt, 1878 De Lugo, 1619 1 ata ata 2 bozha / bosa boʒha 3 mica mica 4 mhuyca / muyhica mhuɣcâ 5 hicsca / hisca hɣcſcâ 6 taataa 7 qhupqa / cuhupqua qhûpqâ 8 shuzha / suhuza shûʒhâ 9 aca aca 10 hubchibica / ubchihica hubchìhicâ 11 quihicha ata qhicħâ ata 12 quihicha bosa qhicħâ boʒha 13 quihicha mica qhicħâ mica 14 quihicha mhuyca qhicħâ mhuɣcâ 15 quihicha hisca qhicħâ hɣcſcâ 16 quihicha ta qhicħâ ta 17 quihicha cuhupqua qhicħâ qhûpqâ 18 quihicha suhuza qhicħâ shûʒhâ 19 quihicha aca qhicħâ aca 20 gueta guêata 21 guetas asaqui ata guêatas aſaqɣ ata 30 guetas asaqui ubchihica guêatas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ 40 gue-bosa guêboʒha 50 gue-bosa asaqui ubchihica guêboʒhas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ 60 gue-mica guêmica 70 gue-mica asaqui ubchihica guêmicas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ 80 gue-muyhica guêmhuɣcâ 90 gue-muyhica asaqui ubchihica guêmhuɣcâs aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ 99 gue-muyhica asaqui quihicha aca guêmhuɣcâs aſaqɣ qhicħâ aca 100 gue-hisca guêhɣcſcâ 101 gue-hisca asaqui ata guêhɣcſcâs aſaqɣ ata 110 gue-hisca asaqui hubchihica guêhɣcſcâs aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ 120 gue-ta guêta 150 gue-cuhupqua asaqui hubchihica guêqhûpqâs aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ 199 gue-aca asaqui quihicha aca guêacas aſaqɣ qhicħâ aca 200 gue-ubchihica guêhubchìhicâ 250 gue-quihicha bozha asaqui hubchihica guêqhicħâ boʒhas aſaqɣ hubchìhicâ 300 gue-chihica hisca guêqhicħâ hɣcſcâ 365 gue-chihica suhuza asaqui hisca guêqhicħâ shûʒhâs aſaqɣ hɣcſcâ 399 gue-chihica aca asaqui quihicha aca guêqhicħâ acas aſaqɣ qhicħâ aca

Muisca numerals

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