﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  45 
  

  

  THE 
  NORTHERN 
  ANDES 
  

  

  The 
  Northern 
  Andes 
  include 
  the 
  Highlands 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  

   Coast 
  of 
  Ecuador, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  Highland 
  section 
  of 
  Colombia. 
  The 
  

   mountains 
  of 
  Colombia 
  lay 
  beyond 
  the 
  maximum 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  

   Inca 
  Empire, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  cultures 
  were 
  not 
  subjected 
  to 
  the 
  

   leveling 
  process 
  which 
  obscured 
  the 
  picture 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  native 
  cul- 
  

   tures 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  area. 
  Instead, 
  many 
  tribes 
  of 
  

   Colombia, 
  notably 
  the 
  Chibcha, 
  developed 
  distinctive 
  cultures, 
  al- 
  

   though 
  still 
  definitely 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Andean 
  continuum. 
  

  

  Ecuador 
  lies 
  between 
  the 
  distinctive 
  centers 
  of 
  Colombia 
  and 
  Peru. 
  

   The 
  period 
  of 
  intense 
  Inca 
  occupation 
  obscured 
  the 
  previous 
  Ecua- 
  

   dorian 
  patterns, 
  but 
  the 
  archeological 
  remains 
  indicate 
  that 
  Highland 
  

   Ecuador 
  was 
  as 
  closely 
  linked 
  to 
  Colombia 
  as 
  to 
  Peru. 
  For 
  example, 
  

   stone 
  building 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  feature 
  of 
  Highland 
  Ecuadorian 
  culture, 
  nor 
  is 
  

   llama 
  herding. 
  In 
  fact, 
  more 
  significant 
  links 
  with 
  Peru 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  

   the 
  Ecuadorian 
  Coast, 
  where 
  stone 
  building 
  and 
  stone 
  sculpture 
  are 
  

   outstanding. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  their 
  total 
  history 
  the 
  high 
  civilizations 
  of 
  the 
  Andes 
  

   must 
  have 
  exercised 
  a 
  profound 
  influence 
  on 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  cultural 
  

   activity 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  American 
  continent. 
  Many 
  authors 
  have 
  

   stressed 
  the 
  possible 
  contributions 
  to 
  Andean 
  cultural 
  development 
  by 
  

   the 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  Amazon. 
  In 
  fact, 
  some 
  authors 
  attribute 
  great 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  to 
  the 
  Arawak 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  The 
  botanical 
  evidence 
  that 
  

   the 
  marginal 
  Amazon 
  was 
  a 
  center 
  of 
  plant 
  domestication 
  gives 
  weight 
  

   to 
  these 
  considerations. 
  The 
  influence 
  in 
  the 
  reverse 
  is, 
  however, 
  often 
  

   neglected 
  since 
  the 
  Inca 
  political 
  Empire 
  did 
  not 
  penetrate 
  deeply 
  into 
  

   the 
  Tropical 
  Forest 
  nor 
  the 
  temperate 
  plains 
  regions. 
  However, 
  

   direct 
  trade 
  with 
  Amazonian 
  neighbors 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  an 
  old 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  practice 
  in 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  region, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  marginal 
  

   areas 
  these 
  contacts 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  even 
  closer. 
  (Further 
  discussion 
  

   of 
  cultural 
  relations 
  between 
  the 
  Tropical 
  Forest 
  peoples 
  and 
  the 
  

   Highlands 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  section 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  Montana 
  

   tribes, 
  in 
  volume 
  3 
  of 
  the 
  Handbook.) 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Northern 
  Andes, 
  the 
  cultural 
  links 
  with 
  the 
  Tropical 
  Forest 
  

   cultures 
  are 
  particularly 
  marked 
  . 
  The 
  northern 
  Ecuadorian 
  Highlands 
  

   and 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  Colombia 
  are 
  virtually 
  surrounded 
  by 
  

   Tropical 
  Forest 
  regions, 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  north, 
  and 
  east. 
  Agricultural 
  

   methods 
  and 
  house 
  types 
  in 
  the 
  Highlands 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  

   lowlands. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  cultural 
  exchange, 
  however, 
  one 
  cannot 
  

   speak 
  of 
  a 
  typical 
  Amazonian 
  culture 
  in 
  the 
  Highlands 
  or 
  the 
  reverse. 
  

  

  The 
  differences 
  between 
  Ecuador 
  and 
  Colombia 
  are 
  of 
  such 
  magni- 
  

   tude 
  that 
  each 
  is 
  treated 
  separately 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  analysis. 
  

  

  