﻿52 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  park-land 
  and 
  grassland 
  type, 
  which 
  was 
  easily 
  cleared 
  by 
  the 
  Indians. 
  

   The 
  paramos 
  above 
  these 
  basins 
  were 
  of 
  little 
  use 
  to 
  the 
  Indians 
  al- 
  

   though 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  utilized 
  for 
  cattle 
  grazing. 
  Below 
  the 
  basins, 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  slopes 
  are 
  badly 
  cut 
  by 
  erosion 
  with 
  little 
  flat 
  land. 
  

  

  These 
  high 
  basins 
  of 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  Oriental 
  possessed 
  the 
  most 
  

   favorable 
  environmental 
  conditions 
  in 
  Colombia 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  

   of 
  the 
  Andean 
  culture 
  pattern 
  and 
  were, 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  homelands 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chibcha 
  civilization, 
  frequently 
  described 
  as 
  the 
  third 
  highest 
  in 
  the 
  

   Americas. 
  This 
  region 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  popu- 
  

   lation 
  density 
  in 
  Colombia's 
  past 
  but 
  still 
  maintains 
  that 
  distinction 
  

   today. 
  Although 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  culture 
  has 
  virtually 
  died 
  out, 
  Spanish 
  

   descriptions, 
  confirmed 
  in 
  part 
  by 
  archeological 
  work, 
  testify 
  to 
  the 
  

   extent 
  of 
  the 
  population, 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  crafts, 
  the 
  village 
  

   pattern, 
  and 
  the 
  advancements 
  in 
  large-scale 
  political 
  organization. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  eastern 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  Oriental, 
  

   large 
  intermont 
  basins 
  are 
  not 
  found, 
  and 
  the 
  pattern 
  of 
  scattered 
  

   farms 
  and 
  habitations 
  was 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Cauca 
  Valley. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribes 
  mentioned 
  for 
  this 
  area 
  are 
  the 
  Agata, 
  the 
  Lache, 
  the 
  

   Chitarero, 
  GuanS, 
  Timote, 
  and 
  Cuica. 
  Again, 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  

   these 
  now 
  extinct 
  tribes, 
  although 
  all 
  were 
  definitely 
  influenced 
  by 
  the 
  

   dominant 
  Chibcha. 
  (See 
  Handbook, 
  vol. 
  4.) 
  

  

  The 
  middle 
  Magdalena 
  Kiver 
  Valley 
  and 
  the 
  swampy 
  low 
  flats 
  

   which 
  border 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  Sea 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  heavy 
  tropical 
  

   forests. 
  The 
  scattered 
  tribes 
  which 
  occupy 
  this 
  area 
  belong 
  culturally 
  

   with 
  the 
  Amazonian 
  pattern, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  those 
  in 
  

   the 
  Magdalena 
  Valley, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Panche 
  and 
  the 
  Muzo, 
  were 
  neigh- 
  

   bors 
  and 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  and 
  undoubtedly 
  received 
  cultural 
  

   influences 
  from 
  them. 
  The 
  tribes 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  tropical 
  lowlands, 
  

   along 
  the 
  Rio 
  Cesar 
  and 
  surrounding 
  Lake 
  Maracaibo, 
  likewise 
  

   belong 
  in 
  the 
  Amazonian 
  division, 
  and 
  will 
  be 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  Hand- 
  

   book, 
  volume 
  3. 
  

  

  The 
  isolated 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  de 
  Santa 
  Marta, 
  

   separated 
  from 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  Oriental 
  by 
  the 
  Eio 
  C6sar, 
  are 
  covered 
  

   with 
  heavy 
  rain 
  forests. 
  In 
  terms 
  of 
  this 
  analysis, 
  this 
  region 
  would 
  

   not 
  seem 
  particularly 
  favorable 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  Andean 
  

   pattern, 
  although 
  cultivation 
  was 
  possible 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   mountain 
  slopes. 
  However, 
  archeologically 
  speaking, 
  Santa 
  Marta 
  is 
  

   the 
  only 
  region 
  in 
  Colombia 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  area 
  with 
  good 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  fairly 
  large 
  villages, 
  and 
  is 
  exceptional 
  in 
  its 
  extensive 
  use 
  

   of 
  stone 
  as 
  a 
  building 
  material. 
  Village 
  ruins 
  of 
  the 
  now 
  extinct 
  

   Tairona 
  culture 
  are 
  characterized 
  by 
  large, 
  stone-lined, 
  circular 
  house 
  

   platforms, 
  stone-faced 
  terraces, 
  streets, 
  reservoirs, 
  bridges, 
  stairways, 
  

   and 
  dressed-stone 
  tombs. 
  Ceramics, 
  metallurgy, 
  and 
  the 
  carving 
  of 
  

   bone, 
  shell, 
  and 
  stone 
  objects 
  were 
  technically 
  advanced. 
  The 
  Indian 
  

   groups 
  in 
  this 
  area 
  today, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Cdgaba, 
  lea, 
  and 
  Chimila, 
  speak 
  

  

  