﻿Vol.2] 
  ARCHEOLOGY 
  OF 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  845 
  

  

  large 
  rectangular 
  courts 
  are 
  outlined 
  with 
  earthwork 
  walls. 
  Within 
  

   the 
  village, 
  long 
  slab 
  stairways 
  and 
  paved 
  roads, 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  16 
  feet 
  

   (5 
  m.) 
  in 
  width, 
  connect 
  the 
  various 
  units. 
  Stone-slab 
  bridges 
  cross 
  

   small 
  streams, 
  and 
  sunken 
  stone-lined 
  pits 
  served 
  as 
  reservoirs. 
  Up- 
  

   right 
  stone 
  pillars 
  and 
  tables 
  made 
  of 
  boulders 
  set 
  on 
  smaller 
  stones 
  

   are 
  also 
  found. 
  None 
  of 
  these 
  construction 
  units 
  is 
  isolated, 
  but 
  

   rather, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  ring 
  houses, 
  mounds, 
  roads, 
  stairways, 
  bridges, 
  

   reservoirs, 
  and 
  the 
  like 
  form 
  a 
  single 
  village 
  site. 
  

  

  Graves. 
  — 
  The 
  Tairona 
  culture 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  several 
  types 
  of 
  

   graves. 
  Secondary 
  urn 
  burial 
  is 
  common. 
  Urns 
  are 
  of 
  three 
  major 
  

   types 
  and 
  are 
  usually 
  covered 
  with 
  inverted 
  bowls. 
  Primary 
  ex- 
  

   tended 
  burials 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  cemeteries. 
  There 
  are 
  likewise 
  

   stone-lined 
  box 
  graves, 
  and 
  burial 
  vaults 
  built 
  up 
  of 
  dressed-stone 
  

   blocks. 
  Shaft-and-chamber 
  graves 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  near 
  the 
  Coast, 
  

   but 
  their 
  identification 
  as 
  Tairona 
  is 
  dubious. 
  

  

  Ceramics. 
  — 
  Pottery 
  is 
  abundant, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  refuse 
  sites 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   graves. 
  Although 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  substyles 
  are 
  recognized, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   basis 
  for 
  their 
  chronological 
  arrangement. 
  Two 
  maj 
  or 
  wares 
  dominate 
  

   the 
  ceramics: 
  a 
  thick 
  red 
  ware 
  and 
  a 
  thin 
  black 
  ware. 
  

  

  The 
  thick 
  red 
  ware 
  (fig. 
  95, 
  c, 
  e, 
  f; 
  96, 
  a, 
  c) 
  is 
  typically 
  decorated 
  

   with 
  appliqued 
  animal 
  and 
  human 
  figures. 
  The 
  major 
  shapes 
  are 
  

   shallow 
  plates, 
  sieves, 
  trays, 
  some 
  with 
  basketry 
  handles, 
  shoe-shaped 
  

   vessels, 
  ollas, 
  many 
  with 
  annular 
  bases, 
  carinated 
  bowls, 
  open 
  bowls 
  

   with 
  annular 
  bases, 
  and 
  cylindrical 
  jars. 
  

  

  The 
  thin 
  black 
  ware 
  (figs. 
  95, 
  a, 
  b, 
  d, 
  g; 
  96, 
  d; 
  97) 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  

   better 
  made 
  than 
  the 
  red 
  ware, 
  and 
  also 
  better 
  decorated 
  with 
  fine-line 
  

   incision 
  and 
  naturalistic 
  modeled 
  relief. 
  The 
  shapes 
  are 
  more 
  varied, 
  

   and 
  include 
  annular-based 
  ollas, 
  bowls, 
  and 
  cups, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  

   shoulders. 
  This 
  ware 
  is 
  also 
  represented 
  by 
  double 
  orifice 
  bowls, 
  

   tetrapod 
  vessels, 
  modeled 
  effigy 
  figures 
  with 
  stirrup 
  spouts, 
  and 
  collar 
  

   jars 
  with 
  tetrapod 
  feet 
  and 
  single 
  spouts. 
  

  

  The 
  characteristic 
  "treasure 
  jars" 
  are 
  tall 
  cylindrical 
  vessels 
  with 
  

   fitted 
  clay 
  covers 
  (fig. 
  96, 
  6). 
  These 
  jars 
  are 
  not 
  only 
  made 
  in 
  red 
  

   ware 
  and 
  black 
  ware, 
  but 
  some 
  are 
  decorated 
  with 
  painted 
  designs, 
  a 
  

   rarity 
  in 
  Tairona 
  culture. 
  The 
  painting 
  consists 
  of 
  curvilinear 
  designs 
  

   in 
  red 
  or 
  brown 
  on 
  a 
  buff 
  base. 
  

  

  Many 
  other 
  clay 
  artifacts 
  are 
  encountered. 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  minia- 
  

   ture 
  vessels, 
  of 
  both 
  red 
  and 
  black 
  ware, 
  small 
  pestles, 
  rattles, 
  and 
  

   carved 
  cylindrical 
  stamps. 
  Ocarinas, 
  whistles, 
  and 
  small 
  modeled 
  

   effigies 
  represent 
  both 
  animal 
  and 
  human 
  forms, 
  and 
  are 
  executed 
  with 
  

   great 
  skill 
  and 
  care. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  spindle 
  whorls 
  have 
  

   not 
  been 
  found. 
  

  

  Stone 
  objects. 
  — 
  The 
  stone 
  artifacts 
  are 
  both 
  utilitarian 
  and 
  cere- 
  

   monial. 
  In 
  the 
  utilitarian 
  group 
  are 
  metates, 
  manos, 
  mortars, 
  pes- 
  

   tles, 
  pierced 
  stones 
  for 
  weights, 
  polishing 
  stones, 
  and 
  the 
  like. 
  The 
  

  

  