﻿830 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  the 
  Upper 
  Cauca 
  zone 
  might 
  also 
  pertain 
  to 
  the 
  Late 
  Periods. 
  In 
  

   fact, 
  European 
  artifacts 
  have 
  reportedly 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   Quebrada 
  Seca 
  graves. 
  

  

  Such 
  a 
  chronological 
  arrangement 
  is 
  far 
  from 
  satisfactory 
  since 
  it 
  

   leaves 
  some 
  zones, 
  such 
  as 
  Chibcha 
  and 
  Tairona, 
  without 
  known 
  Early 
  

   or 
  Middle 
  Periods, 
  and 
  others, 
  such 
  as 
  Quimbaya 
  and 
  Narino, 
  without 
  

   known 
  Early 
  or 
  Late 
  Periods. 
  Obviously 
  any 
  verification 
  of 
  this 
  

   hypothetical 
  chronology 
  must 
  await 
  more 
  archeological 
  investigation. 
  

  

  PROBLEMS 
  

  

  All 
  authorities 
  agree 
  that 
  the 
  outstanding 
  need 
  in 
  Colombian 
  

   archeology 
  is 
  more 
  scientific 
  archeological 
  exploration. 
  Not 
  only 
  are 
  

   large 
  regions 
  still 
  unexplored, 
  but 
  many 
  which 
  are 
  represented 
  by 
  

   large 
  collections 
  are 
  without 
  any 
  records 
  of 
  excavations. 
  Other 
  

   immediate 
  needs 
  are 
  also 
  apparent. 
  A 
  careful 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  

   San 
  Agustin 
  stone 
  carvings 
  is 
  much 
  to 
  be 
  desired. 
  Since 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  

   that 
  the 
  San 
  Agustin 
  Period 
  covered 
  a 
  considerable 
  length 
  of 
  time, 
  a 
  

   classification 
  of 
  the 
  carvings 
  might 
  reveal 
  subdivisions, 
  and 
  thus 
  facil- 
  

   itate 
  comparisons 
  with 
  regions 
  outside 
  of 
  Colombia. 
  A 
  detailed 
  

   descriptive 
  classification 
  of 
  Quimbaya 
  ceramics 
  and 
  other 
  artifacts 
  is 
  

   also 
  needed. 
  Exceptionally 
  large 
  collections 
  exist, 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  

   this 
  extensive 
  zone. 
  Although 
  further 
  excavation 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  validate 
  any 
  classificatory 
  subdivisions, 
  a 
  good 
  basis 
  could 
  be 
  laid 
  

   in 
  anticipation 
  of 
  such 
  work. 
  New 
  excavations 
  in 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  zone 
  

   are 
  of 
  paramount 
  importance. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  area 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  

   be 
  possible 
  to 
  link 
  the 
  archeological 
  and 
  the 
  historical 
  records. 
  

   Furthermore, 
  this 
  favorable 
  environment 
  should 
  furnish 
  a 
  long 
  record 
  

   of 
  occupation. 
  Finally, 
  since 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  problems 
  seem 
  to 
  rest 
  on 
  

   future 
  excavation, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  the 
  archeologists 
  will 
  pay 
  

   more 
  attention 
  to 
  noncemetery 
  sites. 
  Today, 
  a 
  great 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  

   specimens 
  come 
  from 
  graves, 
  and, 
  consequently, 
  only 
  a 
  partially 
  

   complete 
  picture 
  of 
  the 
  cultures 
  is 
  presented. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  

   large 
  surface 
  ruins 
  are 
  absent 
  in 
  large 
  parts 
  of 
  Colombia, 
  but 
  careful 
  

   investigation 
  should 
  reveal 
  evidence 
  of 
  house 
  sites 
  and 
  villages 
  else- 
  

   where 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  Tairona 
  region. 
  

  

  SOURCES 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  summary 
  of 
  Colombian 
  archeology 
  is 
  based 
  largely 
  on 
  

   the 
  two 
  recent 
  surveys 
  by 
  Bennett 
  (1944 
  a) 
  and 
  Hernandez 
  de 
  Alba 
  

   (1938 
  a, 
  1941). 
  Both 
  of 
  these 
  reports 
  describe 
  the 
  archeological 
  zones 
  

   of 
  Colombia 
  and 
  illustrate 
  typical 
  specimens 
  from 
  each; 
  A 
  compre- 
  

   hensive 
  bibliography 
  of 
  each 
  archeological 
  zone 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  Ben- 
  

   nett 
  (1944 
  a), 
  and 
  a 
  general 
  bibliography 
  on 
  Colombian 
  anthropology 
  

   in 
  Ortiz 
  (1937 
  a). 
  Other 
  general 
  sources 
  which 
  deal 
  with 
  Colombia 
  

   as 
  a 
  whole 
  and 
  contain 
  good 
  illustrations 
  of 
  specimens 
  are: 
  Beuchat 
  

  

  