﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  57 
  

  

  assuming 
  caste 
  proportions. 
  At 
  least, 
  the 
  chief 
  or 
  ruler 
  was 
  of 
  almost 
  

   divine 
  importance, 
  and 
  his 
  whole 
  life 
  was 
  surrounded 
  by 
  complex 
  

   protocol. 
  There 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  specially 
  trained 
  and 
  privileged 
  class 
  of 
  

   warriors 
  with 
  their 
  respective 
  war 
  chiefs. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Conquest, 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  had 
  begun 
  the 
  

   organization 
  of 
  states 
  and 
  were 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  unite 
  the 
  whole 
  ter- 
  

   ritory 
  under 
  one 
  leader. 
  Two 
  loosely 
  organized 
  states 
  were 
  promi- 
  

   nent 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  and 
  both 
  were 
  expanding. 
  The 
  

   conquered 
  peoples 
  were 
  not 
  incorporated 
  with 
  the 
  thoroughness 
  of 
  

   the 
  Inca 
  political 
  machine, 
  but 
  rather 
  subjected 
  to 
  the 
  payment 
  of 
  

   tribute. 
  

  

  The 
  religious 
  practices 
  and 
  beliefs 
  were 
  complex, 
  but 
  formalized 
  

   religious 
  organization 
  was 
  weak. 
  A 
  special 
  group 
  of 
  priests 
  partici- 
  

   pated 
  in 
  the 
  ceremonies, 
  but 
  their 
  principal 
  function 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  

   intermediary 
  between 
  the 
  people 
  and 
  the 
  gods. 
  Although 
  a 
  long 
  

   period 
  of 
  training 
  was 
  necessary 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  priest 
  and 
  al- 
  

   though 
  the 
  position 
  was 
  inherited, 
  the 
  priests 
  themselves 
  were 
  not 
  

   formally 
  organized. 
  Keligious 
  centers, 
  or 
  temples, 
  were 
  but 
  little 
  

   different 
  from 
  the 
  common 
  dwellings. 
  They 
  did 
  contain 
  idols, 
  and 
  

   sacrifices, 
  including 
  human, 
  were 
  performed 
  at 
  them. 
  The 
  gods 
  fol- 
  

   lowed 
  the 
  Central 
  American 
  pattern 
  of 
  being 
  departmentalized, 
  that 
  

   is, 
  having 
  specific 
  functions, 
  such 
  as 
  commerce 
  or 
  weaving, 
  assigned 
  

   to 
  them. 
  

  

  Chibcha 
  culture 
  offered 
  little 
  resistance 
  to 
  the 
  Spanish 
  invaders, 
  

   and 
  since 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  the 
  language 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  culture 
  have 
  dis- 
  

   appeared. 
  This 
  can 
  be 
  explained 
  in 
  part 
  by 
  the 
  new 
  introductions 
  

   from 
  the 
  Old 
  World 
  which 
  made 
  radical 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  economy. 
  In 
  

   comparison, 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  explain 
  why 
  the 
  Aymara 
  held 
  on 
  to 
  their 
  

   language 
  and 
  customs 
  with 
  such 
  tenacity 
  while 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  let 
  both 
  

   slip 
  away. 
  An 
  important 
  contributing 
  factor 
  to 
  the 
  elimination 
  of 
  

   the 
  Chibcha 
  culture 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Spaniards 
  found 
  the 
  

   Chibcha 
  territory 
  ideal 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  settlements. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  

   region 
  in 
  Colombia 
  where 
  agricultural 
  labor 
  was 
  both 
  abundant 
  

   and 
  tractable. 
  Spanish 
  cattle 
  could 
  utilize 
  the 
  paramo 
  country; 
  

   Spanish 
  oats 
  and 
  barley 
  grew 
  well 
  in 
  the 
  high 
  plateau 
  region. 
  Unfor- 
  

   tunately, 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  place 
  for 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  to 
  retire. 
  

  

  FUTUKE 
  STUDIES 
  

  

  This 
  brief 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Highland 
  region 
  of 
  South 
  America 
  indicates 
  

   clearly 
  the 
  need 
  for 
  new 
  studies. 
  No 
  list 
  of 
  detailed 
  studies 
  would 
  

   be 
  practical, 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  general 
  suggestions 
  can 
  be 
  selected. 
  

  

  (1) 
  Contemporary 
  Indian 
  cultures.— 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  outstanding 
  

   gaps 
  in 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  indigenous 
  cultures 
  of 
  South 
  America 
  

   is 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  competent 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  contemporary 
  Indians 
  of 
  High- 
  

  

  