﻿842 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  The 
  few 
  pieces 
  of 
  Sinti 
  ceramics 
  present 
  a 
  distinctive 
  style. 
  Com- 
  

   plete 
  pieces 
  represent 
  ollas 
  or 
  open 
  bowls, 
  generally 
  thick, 
  sand 
  

   tempered, 
  and, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  black-white-red 
  vessel, 
  with- 
  

   out 
  painted 
  designs. 
  A 
  tall 
  broken 
  vessel 
  may 
  well 
  have 
  been 
  part 
  

   of 
  an 
  urn 
  cover. 
  The 
  characteristic 
  decoration 
  is 
  high-relief 
  modeling 
  

   and 
  incision. 
  The 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  figures 
  are 
  modeled 
  with 
  amazing 
  

   skill, 
  in 
  contrast 
  to 
  most 
  Colombian 
  workmanship 
  (pi. 
  171, 
  g). 
  The 
  

   males 
  are 
  depicted 
  in 
  the 
  nude, 
  but 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  has 
  

   incised 
  designs, 
  suggestive 
  of 
  body 
  painting 
  or 
  tattooing. 
  The 
  females 
  

   are 
  represented 
  as 
  wearing 
  large 
  earplugs, 
  collars, 
  and 
  short 
  skirts, 
  

   secured 
  at 
  the 
  waist 
  with 
  a 
  belt. 
  Again, 
  the 
  upper 
  body 
  has 
  incised 
  

   designs. 
  

  

  The 
  Sinii 
  area 
  is 
  not 
  comparable 
  to 
  other 
  Colombian 
  divisions 
  

   because 
  both 
  information 
  and 
  materials 
  are 
  still 
  so 
  rare. 
  However, 
  

   the 
  distinctiveness 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  known 
  pieces 
  suggests 
  that 
  some 
  day 
  

   the 
  Sinu 
  region 
  will 
  take 
  its 
  place 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  major 
  archeological 
  

   zones. 
  

  

  5. 
  CHIBCHA 
  

  

  The 
  Chibcha 
  occupied 
  the 
  large 
  intermont 
  basins 
  of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  

   Cordillera 
  in 
  the 
  Departments 
  of 
  Cundinamarca 
  and 
  Boyaca, 
  centered 
  

   roughly 
  around 
  the 
  contemporary 
  towns 
  of 
  Bogota 
  and 
  Tunja. 
  These 
  

   high 
  basins, 
  averaging 
  about 
  7,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  2,135 
  m.) 
  above 
  sea 
  

   level, 
  have 
  extensive 
  areas 
  of 
  well-watered, 
  fertile, 
  and 
  relatively 
  flat 
  

   lands. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  region 
  in 
  Colombia 
  which 
  has 
  the 
  basic 
  require- 
  

   ments 
  for 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  a 
  concentrated, 
  sedentary, 
  agricultural 
  

   population, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  Andean 
  culture 
  pattern. 
  

  

  The 
  Chibcha 
  are 
  best 
  known 
  from 
  the 
  Spanish 
  historical 
  accounts. 
  

   (See 
  this 
  volume, 
  p. 
  887.) 
  Relatively 
  little 
  scientific 
  archeological 
  

   work 
  has 
  been 
  done, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  few 
  good 
  Chibcha 
  sites 
  are 
  

   known, 
  and 
  evidence 
  for 
  any 
  great 
  antiquity 
  in 
  this 
  favorable 
  area 
  

   is 
  lacking. 
  

  

  Architecture. 
  — 
  Large 
  village 
  sites 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  discovered, 
  in 
  spite 
  

   of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  exist 
  even 
  though 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  did 
  most 
  

   of 
  their 
  building 
  with 
  perishable 
  materials. 
  There 
  are 
  some 
  reports 
  

   of 
  house 
  foundations 
  marked 
  by 
  rings 
  of 
  stone 
  columns. 
  Near 
  

   Tunja, 
  these 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  up 
  to 
  about 
  160 
  feet 
  (50 
  m.) 
  in 
  circum- 
  

   ference, 
  but 
  those 
  recently 
  excavated 
  by 
  the 
  Colombian 
  archeologists 
  

   are 
  much 
  smaller. 
  One 
  ring 
  is 
  about 
  12 
  feet 
  (3.8 
  m.) 
  in 
  diameter, 
  with 
  

   seven 
  stone 
  columns 
  still 
  in 
  position; 
  another 
  is 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  and 
  

   has 
  eight 
  uprights. 
  The 
  excavators 
  found 
  hard-packed 
  clay 
  floors 
  

   covered 
  with 
  refuse, 
  some 
  32 
  inches 
  (80 
  cm.) 
  below 
  the 
  present 
  ground 
  

   surface. 
  Within 
  the 
  circle 
  of 
  stone 
  columns 
  was 
  another 
  circle 
  of 
  

   post 
  holes 
  and, 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  the 
  hole 
  for 
  the 
  center 
  pole 
  was 
  revealed. 
  

  

  Graves. 
  — 
  Chibcha 
  cemeteries 
  contain 
  direct 
  burials, 
  some 
  with 
  and 
  

  

  