﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  51 
  

  

  valley 
  about 
  150 
  miles 
  (240 
  km.) 
  long 
  and 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  miles 
  (24 
  

   to 
  32 
  km.) 
  wide. 
  The 
  valley 
  has 
  an 
  average 
  altitude 
  of 
  about 
  3,000 
  

   feet 
  (900 
  m.) 
  above 
  sea 
  level, 
  and 
  is 
  today 
  an 
  important 
  region 
  for 
  

   sugarcane 
  and 
  for 
  grazing. 
  In 
  pre-Spanish 
  times, 
  the 
  same 
  valley 
  

   was 
  apparently 
  of 
  little 
  use. 
  The 
  flats 
  were 
  either 
  swampy 
  or 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  a 
  heavy 
  grass 
  resistant 
  to 
  indigenous 
  agricultural 
  techniques. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  groups 
  which 
  inhabited 
  the 
  Cauca 
  Valley 
  

   region 
  disappeared 
  or 
  were 
  absorbed 
  in 
  the 
  population 
  long 
  ago. 
  The 
  

   early 
  Spanish 
  accounts 
  reported 
  small 
  populations 
  with 
  little 
  sem- 
  

   blance 
  of 
  organized 
  political 
  structure. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  tribes 
  mentioned 
  

   are 
  the 
  Coconuco 
  around 
  Popayan, 
  the 
  Lite 
  around 
  the 
  present 
  town 
  

   of 
  Call, 
  the 
  Quimbaya 
  around 
  Cartago, 
  the 
  Nori 
  around 
  Antioquia, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Sinti 
  along 
  the 
  Sinti 
  Kiver. 
  Other 
  tribes 
  of 
  less 
  certain 
  

   location 
  were 
  the 
  Gorrdn, 
  Chanco, 
  Ancerma, 
  Pozo, 
  Arma, 
  Buritica, 
  

   Dabeibe, 
  Paucora, 
  Caramenta, 
  Carrapa, 
  and 
  Umbra. 
  The 
  Chibchan 
  

   linguistic 
  family 
  was 
  dominant. 
  The 
  general 
  impression 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  

   numerous 
  small 
  tribes 
  occupying 
  limited 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  region 
  

   on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  Cauca 
  Valley 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  over-all 
  political 
  

   unification. 
  

  

  The 
  archeology 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  although 
  inadequately 
  studied, 
  

   presents 
  an 
  equally 
  simple 
  picture. 
  Three 
  major 
  ceramic 
  styles 
  are 
  

   distinguishable: 
  the 
  little-known 
  Sinu 
  River 
  style, 
  the 
  Quimbaya 
  

   (archeological, 
  not 
  tribal) 
  style 
  found 
  throughout 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  Depart- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  Antioquia 
  and 
  Caldas, 
  and 
  the 
  Upper 
  Cauca 
  style, 
  which 
  in- 
  

   cludes 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  minor 
  subdivisions. 
  No 
  remains 
  of 
  concentrated 
  

   population 
  centers 
  have 
  been 
  discovered, 
  which 
  would 
  confirm 
  the 
  

   pattern 
  of 
  isolated 
  house 
  sites 
  and 
  cultivated 
  plots 
  scattered 
  about 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  slopes. 
  However, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  evidence 
  of 
  large- 
  

   scale 
  social 
  organization 
  or 
  village 
  pattern, 
  the 
  archeology 
  reveals 
  well- 
  

   developed 
  crafts. 
  For 
  example, 
  the 
  Quimbaya 
  ceramics 
  are 
  varied 
  

   and 
  of 
  good 
  quality 
  and 
  the 
  goldwork 
  is 
  outstanding. 
  Although 
  

   preservation 
  of 
  perishable 
  objects 
  is 
  poor, 
  numerous 
  spindle 
  whorls 
  of 
  

   clay 
  show 
  that 
  weaving 
  was 
  common. 
  Graves 
  of 
  the 
  shaft-and- 
  

   chamber 
  type 
  are 
  well 
  made 
  and 
  contain 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  mortuary 
  

   furniture. 
  

  

  The 
  fourth 
  major 
  mountain 
  range, 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  Oriental, 
  is 
  sep- 
  

   arated 
  from 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  Central 
  by 
  the 
  Magdalena 
  River 
  Valley. 
  

   The 
  Cordillera 
  runs 
  north 
  and 
  then 
  turns 
  abruptly 
  to 
  the 
  east, 
  skirting 
  

   the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  Maracaibo 
  and 
  entering 
  Venezuela. 
  Ex- 
  

   tensive 
  intermont 
  basins 
  are 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  Departments 
  of 
  Cundina- 
  

   marca 
  and 
  Boyacd, 
  centered 
  roughly 
  around 
  the 
  towns 
  of 
  Bogota 
  and 
  

   Tunja. 
  These 
  Highland 
  basins 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  zone 
  of 
  tierra 
  fria, 
  between 
  

   6,500 
  and 
  10,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  2,000 
  to 
  3,000 
  m.), 
  high 
  enough 
  to 
  temper 
  

   the 
  climate. 
  Level 
  stretches 
  are 
  extensive, 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  fertile, 
  and 
  

   precipitation 
  is 
  ample. 
  The 
  natural 
  vegetation 
  coverage 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  