﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  55 
  

  

  the 
  Chibcha 
  region, 
  the 
  Indians 
  were 
  either 
  too 
  few 
  in 
  number 
  or 
  too 
  

   resistant 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  important 
  source 
  of 
  labor. 
  Consequently, 
  Negroes 
  

   were 
  imported 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  date 
  and 
  have 
  since 
  been 
  brought 
  in 
  greater 
  

   numbers 
  to 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  tropical 
  regions. 
  As 
  a 
  result, 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   element 
  in 
  the 
  Colombian 
  population 
  is 
  small. 
  Although 
  many 
  in- 
  

   dividuals 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  Chibcha 
  area 
  are 
  of 
  mixed 
  descent, 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   language 
  and 
  culture 
  have 
  largely 
  disappeared. 
  A 
  few 
  scattered 
  

   Indian 
  groups 
  can 
  still 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Santa 
  Marta 
  regioo, 
  in 
  the 
  

   higher 
  basins 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  along 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  Cauca 
  Valley, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  rolling 
  forest 
  country 
  of 
  Tierradentro 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  Mag- 
  

   dalena 
  River. 
  Although 
  the 
  Colombian 
  Government 
  in 
  its 
  official 
  

   census 
  recognizes, 
  perhaps 
  too 
  conservatively, 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  60,000 
  In- 
  

   dians 
  today, 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  occupy 
  the 
  eastern 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  coun- 
  

   try, 
  which 
  lies 
  outside 
  the 
  Highlands. 
  

  

  THE 
  CHIBCHA 
  

  

  In 
  Colombia, 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  culture 
  of 
  Cundinamarca 
  and 
  Boyaca 
  

   achieved 
  an 
  intensity 
  comparable 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  

   pattern. 
  The 
  Chibcha 
  are 
  frequently 
  compared 
  to 
  the 
  Inca. 
  How- 
  

   ever, 
  the 
  Inca 
  Empire 
  represents 
  the 
  ultimate 
  expression 
  of 
  a 
  pattern 
  

   whose 
  roots 
  lie 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  archeological 
  past. 
  The 
  Chibcha 
  culture 
  

   has 
  no 
  such 
  demonstrable 
  antiquity. 
  

  

  No 
  long-term 
  archeological 
  sequences 
  have 
  yet 
  been 
  established 
  in 
  

   Colombia, 
  although 
  certain 
  local 
  styles, 
  like 
  San 
  Agustin 
  in 
  southern 
  

   Colombia, 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  ancient 
  as 
  the 
  Early 
  Periods 
  in 
  Perti. 
  San 
  

   Agustin 
  is 
  famous 
  for 
  its 
  varied 
  stone 
  sculpture, 
  since 
  other 
  aspects 
  of 
  

   the 
  culture 
  are 
  little 
  known, 
  but 
  what 
  preceded 
  or 
  followed 
  this 
  

   spectacular 
  development 
  is 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  discovered, 
  and 
  the 
  stone- 
  

   carving 
  art 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  little 
  influence 
  on 
  cultures 
  elsewhere 
  

   in 
  Colombia. 
  Other 
  regions 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  present 
  similar 
  local 
  styles, 
  

   little 
  related 
  to 
  each 
  other. 
  Only 
  the 
  Tairona 
  sites 
  in 
  Santa 
  Marta 
  

   have 
  been 
  studied 
  in 
  detail, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  apparently 
  as 
  recent 
  as 
  the 
  

   Chibcha 
  in 
  time. 
  The 
  Chibcha 
  territory 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  a 
  rich 
  agricul- 
  

   tural 
  section, 
  but 
  archeologists 
  have 
  uncovered 
  no 
  -pre-Chibcha 
  

   materials 
  there, 
  and 
  in 
  any 
  case 
  there 
  is 
  still 
  no 
  good 
  evidence 
  of 
  

   centuries 
  of 
  occupation. 
  Undoubtedly, 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  situation 
  

   is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  sufficient 
  archeological 
  work, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  

   doubt 
  that 
  any 
  picture 
  will 
  ever 
  be 
  presented 
  comparable 
  to 
  the 
  

   Central 
  Andean 
  region 
  in 
  complexity 
  and 
  antiquity 
  of 
  advanced 
  

   civilization. 
  Nonetheless, 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  culture 
  had 
  advanced 
  so 
  far 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  frequently 
  classed 
  as 
  the 
  third 
  highest 
  civilization 
  of 
  the 
  

   Americas. 
  

  

  Chibcha 
  culture 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  intensive 
  sedentary 
  agriculture, 
  

   and 
  as 
  such 
  is 
  unique 
  in 
  Colombia. 
  The 
  cultivated 
  crops 
  were 
  the 
  

   same 
  as 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  region 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  

  

  