Muisca numerals facts for kids

The Muisca numerals were a special way of counting used by the Muisca people. They lived in the Americas long before the Spanish arrived. Like the Mayas, the Muisca used a base-20 number system. This means they counted in groups of twenty, just like we count in groups of ten. In their language, Chibcha, the word for twenty was gueta.

The Muisca counted using their fingers and toes. They had unique words for numbers from one to ten. But for numbers from eleven to nineteen, they would say "foot one" (for 11), "foot two" (for 12), and so on.

The number 20 was very important to the Muisca. It was their 'perfect' number. This is clear in their calendar, which also used groups of twenty. To count numbers higher than 20, they used multiples of twenty. For example, "20 times 4" meant 80. To say 50, they would say "20 times 2 plus 10".

Their calendar was based on the sun and moon. In it, they only used numbers from one to ten, and twenty. Each number had a special meaning. These meanings were often linked to their gods and animals, especially the many toads found in their lands.

The Muisca also had symbols for their numbers. These symbols were inspired by nature, like toads. For example, ata (one) and aca (nine) came from animals common in the Bogotá savanna and other areas where the Muisca lived.

Important experts who helped us learn about Muisca numbers include Bernardo de Lugo, Pedro Simón, Alexander von Humboldt, José Domingo Duquesne, and Liborio Zerda.

How the Muisca Counted

The Muisca used a counting system based on twenty. They mostly counted with their fingers. Then, they used their toes for higher numbers. Their system went from 1 to 10. For numbers above ten, they added the word quihicha or qhicha. This word means "foot" in their language, Muysccubun.

So, eleven was "foot one". Twelve was "foot two", and so on. Just like other ancient civilizations, the number 20 was special. It was the total number of all body parts used for counting: all ten fingers and all ten toes.

The Muisca had two ways to say twenty. They could say "foot ten" (quihícha ubchihica). Or they used their own word, gueta. This word came from gue, meaning "house".

Numbers between 20 and 30 were counted by adding to twenty. For example, 21 was gueta asaqui ata ("twenty plus one"). Thirty was gueta asaqui ubchihica ("twenty plus ten").

For even larger numbers, they used multiples of twenty. For example, 40 was gue-bosa ("20 times 2"). One hundred was gue-hisca ("20 times 5").

The number symbols shown below were first shared by Duquesne. Later, Humboldt, Acosta, and Zerda also showed them. However, some people question if these symbols are truly Muisca numbers. They are rarely found in old Muisca sites. Some think they might be symbols for stars or months instead of numbers.

Muisca Numbers 1 to 10 and 20

Number	Humboldt, 1878	De Lugo, 1619	Muisca Symbols
1	ata
2	bozha / bosa	boʒha
3	mica
4	mhuyca / muyhica	mhuɣcâ
5	hicsca / hisca	hɣcſcâ
6	taa
7	qhupqa / cuhupqua	qhûpqâ
8	shuzha / suhuza	shûʒhâ
9	aca
10	hubchibica / ubchihica	hubchìhicâ
20	quihicha ubchihica gueta	qhicħâ hubchìhicâ guêata

Counting Higher: Numbers 11 to 100

The Muisca used a simple pattern to count past ten. They combined "foot" with the numbers one through nine.

See also

In Spanish: Numeración muisca para niños