﻿Vol.2] 
  ARCHEOLOGY 
  OF 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  849 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  numerous 
  monuments 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  San 
  Agustin 
  cul- 
  

   ture. 
  These 
  include 
  earthen 
  mounds, 
  stone-lined 
  and 
  covered 
  tem- 
  

   ples 
  and 
  shrines, 
  subterranean 
  stone-lined 
  galleries, 
  rough 
  stone 
  surface 
  

   walls, 
  various 
  types 
  of 
  tombs, 
  and 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  stone 
  carvings, 
  

   particularly 
  statues. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  construction 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  

   religious 
  or 
  ceremonial 
  nature, 
  and 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  the 
  habitation 
  

   sites. 
  

  

  Detailed 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  construction 
  work, 
  stone 
  carving, 
  arti- 
  

   facts, 
  and 
  other 
  characteristics 
  of 
  San 
  Agustin 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  article 
  on 
  the 
  Archeology 
  of 
  San 
  Agustin 
  and 
  Tierradentro 
  in 
  this 
  

   volume 
  (p. 
  851) 
  and, 
  consequently, 
  are 
  omitted 
  here. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  San 
  Agustin 
  materials 
  dominate 
  this 
  zone, 
  fragments 
  

   of 
  the 
  distinctive 
  Matanzas 
  style 
  of 
  ceramics 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  

   mound-refuse 
  sites. 
  These 
  are 
  characterized 
  by 
  painted 
  designs 
  in 
  

   dull 
  red 
  on 
  a 
  light 
  background, 
  of 
  such 
  simple 
  patterns 
  as 
  parallel 
  

   lines, 
  chevrons, 
  and 
  triangles. 
  The 
  only 
  shapes 
  suggested 
  are 
  open 
  

   bowls, 
  and 
  squat 
  tripod 
  vessels. 
  Clay 
  figurines, 
  rare 
  or 
  absent 
  in 
  

   San 
  Agustin, 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  the 
  Matanzas 
  sites. 
  

  

  San 
  Agustin 
  style 
  statues 
  and 
  ceramics 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   jacent 
  Tierradentro 
  region, 
  but 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  Colombia 
  stone 
  carving 
  

   does 
  not 
  occur 
  at 
  all. 
  In 
  all 
  probability, 
  San 
  Agustin 
  represents 
  an 
  

   early 
  culture, 
  but 
  as 
  yet 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  definitive 
  archeological 
  proof 
  of 
  

   its 
  exact 
  chronological 
  position. 
  

  

  8. 
  TIERRADENTRO 
  

  

  The 
  Tierradentro 
  zone 
  lies 
  between 
  the 
  upper 
  Cauca 
  and 
  Mag- 
  

   dalena 
  Rivers, 
  in 
  the 
  northwest 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Cauca. 
  

   The 
  environment 
  is 
  generally 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  San 
  Agustin, 
  although 
  

   the 
  country 
  is 
  somewhat 
  more 
  sharply 
  dissected 
  by 
  the 
  numerous 
  

   mountain 
  streams. 
  Relatively 
  little 
  flat 
  land 
  is 
  available, 
  so 
  that 
  

   cultivation 
  in 
  the 
  past, 
  as 
  today, 
  probably 
  consisted 
  of 
  small 
  patches 
  

   cleared 
  on 
  the 
  mountain 
  sides. 
  

  

  The 
  proximity 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  to 
  San 
  Agustin 
  makes 
  it 
  a 
  logical 
  place 
  

   to 
  search 
  for 
  traces 
  of 
  that 
  culture. 
  Actually, 
  such 
  materials 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  in 
  relative 
  abundance. 
  There 
  are 
  carved 
  boulders 
  and 
  

   numerous 
  stone 
  statues, 
  but 
  these 
  do 
  not 
  present 
  all 
  the 
  variations 
  of 
  

   form 
  encountered 
  in 
  the 
  home 
  region. 
  In 
  general, 
  the 
  stone 
  carvings 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  simpler, 
  although 
  no 
  careful 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  styles 
  

   in 
  the 
  two 
  areas 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  made. 
  The 
  stone-lined 
  box- 
  type 
  tombs 
  

   containing 
  San 
  Agustin 
  types 
  of 
  ceramics 
  are 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  Tierra- 
  

   dentro. 
  Despite 
  a 
  few 
  minor 
  differences, 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  these 
  San 
  

   Agustin 
  vessels 
  would 
  be 
  repetitious. 
  Not 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  characteristic 
  

   San 
  Agustin 
  features 
  are 
  found, 
  however, 
  since 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  reports 
  

   of 
  mounds, 
  large 
  s 
  tone-fined 
  temples, 
  or 
  shrines. 
  Some 
  authors 
  refer 
  

   to 
  this 
  Tierradentro-San 
  Agustin 
  style 
  as 
  "Epigonal," 
  implying 
  that 
  

  

  