314 KNOT OF ANTIOQUIA. 





de la Miel and the Nare ; and on the north to Force 

 Nechi ; its average height is only from 1200 to 1350 toises. 

 The culminant point appears to be near Santa Rosa, south- 

 west of the celebrated Valley of Bears (Valle de Osos). The 

 towns of Rio Negro and Marinilla are built on table-lands 

 1060 toises high. The western mass of the knot of the 

 mountains of Aiitioquia, between the Cauca and the Atrato, 

 gives rise, on its western descent, to the Rio San Juan, 

 Bevara, and Murri. It attains its greatest height in the 

 Alto del Viento, north of Urrao, known to the first conquis- 

 tadores by the name of the Cordilleras of Abide or Dabeida. 

 This height (lat. 7 15') does not, however, exceed 1500 

 toises. Following the western slope of this system of 

 mountains of Antioquia, we find that the point of partition 

 of the waters that flow towards the Pacific and the Caribbean 

 Sea (lat. 5 and 6) nearly corresponds with the parallel 

 of the isthmus of Raspadura, between the Rio San Juan and 

 the Atrato. It is remarkable that in this group, more than 

 30 leagues broad, without sharp summits, between lat. 5^ 

 and 7, the highest masses rise towards the west ; while, 

 further south, before the union of the two chains of Quindiu 

 and Choco, we saw them on the east of Cauca. 



The ramifications of the knot of Antioquia, on the north 

 of the parallel 7, are very imperfectly known ; it is observed 

 only that their lowering is in general more rapid and com- 

 plete towards the north-west, in the direction of the ancient 

 province of Biruquete and Darien, than towards the north 

 and north-east, on the side of Zaragoza and Simiti. From 

 the northern bank of the Rio Nare, near its confluence with 

 the Samana, a spur stretches out, known by the name of La 

 Simitarra, and the Mountains of San Lucar. We may call 

 it the first branch of the group of Antioquia. I saw it, in 

 going up the Rio Magdalena, on the west, from the Regidor 

 and the mouth of the Rio Simiti, as far as San Bartolome 

 (on the south of the mouth of the Rio Sogamozo); while, 

 eastward, in lat. 7f and 8^, the spur of the mountains of 

 Ocana appear in the distance ; they are inhabited by some 

 tribes of Molitone Indians. The second branch of the group 

 of Antioquia (west of Samitarra) commences at the mountains 

 of Santa Rosa, stretches out between Zaragoza and Caceres, 

 and terminates abruptly at the confluence of the Rio Nechi 



