﻿50 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  The 
  Spanish 
  Conquest 
  and 
  subsequent 
  historical 
  periods 
  repeat 
  

   essentially 
  the 
  same 
  sequence 
  as 
  noted 
  for 
  the 
  Central 
  Andes. 
  The 
  

   Coastal 
  Indians 
  were 
  soon 
  replaced 
  or 
  absorbed, 
  especially 
  as 
  new 
  

   commercial 
  products 
  and 
  ocean 
  shipping 
  ports 
  became 
  important. 
  

   The 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Highlands 
  continued 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  labor 
  supply 
  on 
  

   haciendas 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  mines. 
  The 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  historical 
  periods 
  has 
  

   been 
  to 
  elimiaate 
  even 
  more 
  the 
  cultural 
  differences 
  between 
  the 
  

   Ecuadorian 
  Indians 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Andes. 
  

  

  COLOMBIA 
  

  

  THE 
  ENVIRONMENT 
  AND 
  TRIBES 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  present 
  country 
  of 
  Colombia, 
  only 
  the 
  western 
  one-third 
  

   is 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  mountains 
  and 
  valleys. 
  Here, 
  according 
  to 
  James 
  

   (1942, 
  p. 
  79), 
  "there 
  are 
  more 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  land 
  than 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  any 
  comparable 
  area 
  in 
  South 
  America." 
  The 
  eastern 
  

   two-thirds 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  Llanos 
  of 
  the 
  Orinoco 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  Tropical 
  Forests 
  

   of 
  the 
  Amazon. 
  

  

  Not 
  all 
  the 
  western 
  third 
  of 
  Colombia 
  is 
  mountainous, 
  and 
  even 
  

   in 
  the 
  Highland 
  sections 
  only 
  a 
  relatively 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  ter- 
  

   rain 
  offers 
  what 
  might 
  be 
  considered 
  optimum 
  conditions 
  for 
  devel- 
  

   oping 
  the 
  Andean 
  culture 
  pattern. 
  A 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  topography 
  of 
  

   western 
  Colombia 
  will 
  clarify 
  this 
  statement. 
  There 
  are 
  four 
  major 
  

   mountain 
  ranges 
  which 
  run 
  north 
  to 
  south 
  in 
  Colombia. 
  Along 
  

   the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  is 
  a 
  low 
  range 
  called 
  the 
  Serrania 
  de 
  Baud6. 
  In 
  

   spite 
  of 
  peaks 
  that 
  rise 
  to 
  6,000 
  feet 
  (1,800 
  m.) 
  in 
  altitude, 
  most 
  of 
  

   this 
  mountain 
  range, 
  like 
  the 
  surrounding 
  coastal 
  plains, 
  is 
  covered 
  

   by 
  heavy 
  tropical 
  rain 
  forest. 
  In 
  fact 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  of 
  Colombia 
  

   is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  wettest 
  areas 
  of 
  South 
  America, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  flora 
  and 
  the 
  

   fauna 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  environment 
  are 
  remarkably 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  

   tropical 
  Amazon 
  forest. 
  The 
  scattered 
  tribes 
  which 
  occupy 
  this 
  

   region, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Choco 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  the 
  Colorado, 
  Cayapa, 
  and 
  

   Barbacoa 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  pertain 
  to 
  an 
  Amazonian 
  type 
  of 
  culture 
  rather 
  

   than 
  an 
  Andean. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  two 
  mountain 
  ranges, 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  Occidental 
  and 
  the 
  

   Cordillera 
  Central, 
  reach 
  altitudes 
  of 
  over 
  10,000 
  feet 
  (3,000 
  m.) 
  and 
  

   over 
  18,000 
  feet 
  (5,400 
  m.) 
  respectively, 
  and 
  are 
  separated 
  by 
  the 
  

   rift 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Cauca. 
  Large 
  intermont 
  basins 
  are 
  lacking 
  but 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  slopes 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  forests, 
  which, 
  if 
  the 
  grade 
  is 
  not 
  

   too 
  steep, 
  can 
  be 
  cleared 
  away 
  by 
  cutting 
  and 
  burning 
  for 
  small- 
  

   scale 
  cultivation. 
  However, 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  suitable 
  for 
  

   large-scale 
  cultivation 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  Indian 
  economy. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Departments 
  of 
  Antioquia 
  and 
  Caldas, 
  the 
  Cauca 
  River 
  

   valley 
  is 
  flanked 
  by 
  narrow 
  strips 
  of 
  flat 
  land. 
  Farther 
  south, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Departments 
  of 
  Valle 
  and 
  Cauca, 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  cut 
  out 
  a 
  large 
  flat 
  

  

  