María Lionza Cult of Venezuela

María Lionza is a matriarchal goddess, an erotic symbol, and a water deity celebrated by an indigenous religion that originated in Venezuela; the places of worship of this deity are Sorte, Quiballo, Falcón, and Carabobo, sacred spaces of aboriginals from Nirgua, in the state of Yaracuy. It has also extended to Colombia, Spain, Central America, The Antilles, and the United States. The core value of the cult is freedom; it does not have a common doctrine and rejects unified rituals.

There are different versions regarding the origins of the religion. One of them affirms that María Lionza was the daughter of a cacique caquetío (pre-Columbian tribal chief of the Caquetío ethnic group) who hid aboriginals from the Inquisition's courts (created in 1610) and appeared naked riding ...