﻿844 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Other 
  typical 
  clay 
  artifacts 
  are 
  modeled 
  animals, 
  incised 
  whorls, 
  

   effigy 
  ocarinas, 
  pipes, 
  and 
  cylindrical 
  and 
  flat 
  carved 
  stamps. 
  

  

  Stonework. 
  — 
  Petroglyphs 
  and 
  rock 
  paintings 
  are 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  

   Chibcha 
  region, 
  but 
  stone 
  statues 
  or 
  other 
  major 
  carvings 
  do 
  not 
  

   occur. 
  Stone 
  artifacts 
  are 
  abundant 
  and 
  fall 
  into 
  such 
  standard 
  

   categories 
  as 
  notched 
  axes, 
  polished 
  celts, 
  grindstones, 
  relief 
  blocks 
  

   for 
  gold 
  embossing, 
  carved 
  amulets, 
  and 
  both 
  incised 
  and 
  painted 
  

   spindle 
  whorls. 
  

  

  Miscellaneous 
  objects. 
  — 
  Barely 
  wooden 
  artifacts, 
  such 
  as 
  stools, 
  

   lances, 
  and 
  spear 
  throwers 
  are 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  caves. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  far 
  more 
  work 
  is 
  necessary 
  before 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  

   picture 
  of 
  Chibcha 
  archeology 
  can 
  be 
  given, 
  or 
  the 
  true 
  importance 
  of 
  

   Chibcha 
  cultural 
  development 
  and 
  antiquity 
  can 
  be 
  judged. 
  

  

  6. 
  TAIRONA 
  

  

  The 
  isolated 
  mountain 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  de 
  Santa 
  Marta 
  

   is 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  northeast 
  corner 
  of 
  Colombia 
  in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  

   Magdalena. 
  The 
  lower 
  slopes 
  of 
  these 
  snow-capped 
  mountains 
  are 
  

   covered 
  with 
  heavy 
  forest 
  growth, 
  which 
  merges 
  gradually 
  with 
  the 
  

   tropical 
  jungle. 
  Along 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  coast, 
  however, 
  there 
  is 
  less 
  

   precipitation, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  desert 
  conditions 
  prevail. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  region 
  once 
  dominated 
  by 
  the 
  Tairona 
  culture. 
  Ex- 
  

   tensive 
  exploration 
  has 
  discovered 
  over 
  40 
  sites 
  distributed 
  over 
  a 
  wide 
  

   range 
  from 
  the 
  dry 
  Coast 
  to 
  the 
  wet 
  forest 
  mountain 
  slopes. 
  The 
  

   Tairona 
  zone 
  is 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  Colombia 
  by 
  the 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  of 
  surface 
  ruins. 
  The 
  ruins 
  represent 
  quite 
  large, 
  concentrated 
  

   villages 
  in 
  which 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  construction 
  work 
  is 
  of 
  stone. 
  

  

  Architecture. 
  — 
  Above-ground 
  stone 
  construction 
  is 
  the 
  outstanding 
  

   characteristic 
  of 
  Tairona. 
  Split 
  and 
  selected 
  stonework 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  

   common, 
  but 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  better-constructed 
  ring 
  houses, 
  vaults, 
  

   and 
  tombs, 
  carefully 
  dressed 
  and 
  fitted 
  blocks 
  are 
  employed. 
  The 
  

   major 
  types 
  of 
  stone 
  construction 
  units 
  can 
  be 
  described 
  briefly. 
  

  

  The 
  stone-lined, 
  ring 
  house 
  platforms 
  are 
  from 
  about 
  16 
  to 
  65 
  feet 
  

   (5 
  to 
  20 
  m.) 
  in 
  diameter. 
  The 
  ring 
  is 
  formed 
  of 
  a 
  double 
  or 
  triple 
  row 
  

   of 
  stones, 
  in 
  a 
  circle. 
  The 
  inner 
  row 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  curved 
  dressed 
  

   slabs 
  set 
  on 
  edge 
  around 
  the 
  circle. 
  The 
  outer 
  row 
  is 
  of 
  wedge- 
  

   shaped 
  slabs 
  laid 
  horizontally 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  platform 
  around 
  the 
  

   inner 
  wall. 
  Such 
  houses 
  have 
  two 
  entrances, 
  usually 
  made 
  of 
  dressed 
  

   slabs 
  arranged 
  in 
  steps 
  leading 
  to 
  an 
  interior 
  threshold 
  stone. 
  A 
  

   layer 
  of 
  habitation 
  refuse 
  covers 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  these 
  houses 
  and 
  shows 
  

   that 
  they 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  dwellings. 
  However, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  also 
  

   contain 
  graves, 
  burial 
  vaults, 
  and 
  caches 
  of 
  ceremonial 
  objects, 
  which 
  

   suggest 
  a 
  certain 
  religious 
  significance 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  utilitarian. 
  

  

  Terraced 
  platforms 
  for 
  dwellings 
  are 
  cut 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  slopes 
  and 
  faced 
  

   with 
  rough 
  stone 
  walls. 
  Burial 
  mounds 
  are 
  lined 
  with 
  stones, 
  and 
  

  

  