﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  SIERRA 
  NEVADA 
  — 
  PARK 
  867 
  

  

  region 
  . 
  The 
  principal 
  historical 
  sources 
  are 
  listed 
  in 
  the 
  bibliography. 
  

   Of 
  particular 
  interest 
  in 
  affording 
  some 
  cultural 
  facts 
  on 
  the 
  tribes 
  

   of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  18th 
  century 
  is 
  the 
  trans- 
  

   lation 
  by 
  Nicholas 
  (1901) 
  of 
  the 
  portions 
  of 
  Father 
  de 
  la 
  Rosa's 
  

   "Floresta 
  de 
  la 
  Santa 
  Iglesia 
  catedral 
  de 
  la 
  Santa 
  Marta" 
  dealing 
  with 
  

   the 
  Indians. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  supplement 
  the 
  data 
  available 
  in 
  the 
  known 
  

   historical 
  sources, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  highly 
  desirable 
  to 
  sift 
  systematically 
  

   the 
  documentary 
  material 
  that 
  may 
  still 
  be 
  cncovered 
  in 
  Columbia; 
  

   Systematic 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  life 
  (Todd 
  and 
  Carriker, 
  1922) 
  and 
  

   the 
  reptiles 
  (Ruthven, 
  1922) 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  have 
  been 
  published. 
  

   Both 
  of 
  these 
  monographs 
  contain 
  useful 
  summaries 
  of 
  the 
  geography 
  

   of 
  the 
  region. 
  Additional 
  data 
  on 
  the 
  geography 
  have 
  been 
  re- 
  

   corded 
  by 
  Sievers 
  (1888), 
  Taylor 
  (1931), 
  and 
  Seifriz 
  (1934). 
  

  

  GEOGRAPHY 
  

  

  The 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  de 
  Santa 
  Marta 
  with 
  an 
  area 
  roughly 
  estimated 
  

   to 
  be 
  5,000 
  square 
  miles 
  (about 
  13,000 
  sq. 
  m.) 
  is 
  an 
  isolated 
  mountain 
  

   mass 
  bordering 
  on 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  Sea 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  north 
  of 
  Colombia. 
  

   The 
  main 
  axis 
  of 
  this 
  mountain 
  system 
  runs 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  in 
  contrast 
  

   to 
  the 
  north-south 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  of 
  Colombia. 
  The 
  Sierra 
  

   Nevada 
  is, 
  in 
  fact, 
  geologically 
  and 
  geographically 
  distinct 
  from 
  the 
  

   Andes, 
  being 
  separated 
  by 
  the 
  Magdalena 
  River 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  the 
  

   open 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Cesar 
  River 
  to 
  the 
  southeast. 
  5 
  

  

  This 
  mountain 
  area 
  is 
  characterized 
  by 
  remarkable 
  heights, 
  the 
  

   peaks 
  being 
  estimated 
  variously 
  from 
  18,000 
  to 
  21,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  

   5,500 
  to 
  6,400 
  m.), 
  although 
  the 
  Sierra 
  has 
  a 
  small 
  base 
  which 
  is 
  

   about 
  90 
  miles 
  (about 
  145 
  km.) 
  along 
  the 
  north, 
  120 
  miles 
  (about 
  

   190 
  km.) 
  on 
  the 
  southeastern 
  side, 
  and 
  90 
  miles 
  (145 
  km.) 
  on 
  the 
  west. 
  

   Everywhere 
  in 
  this 
  system, 
  the 
  mountains 
  rise 
  abruptly 
  from 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  plain. 
  Consequently, 
  the 
  area 
  lacks 
  broad 
  valleys 
  and 
  

   is 
  characterized 
  by 
  narrow 
  ravines, 
  or 
  quebradas, 
  with 
  extremely 
  

   high, 
  steep 
  sides. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada, 
  the 
  year 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  dis- 
  

   tinct 
  seasons, 
  the 
  rainy 
  and 
  the 
  dry. 
  The 
  rainy 
  season 
  extends 
  from 
  

   April 
  to 
  November 
  or 
  December, 
  depending 
  on 
  local 
  conditions. 
  

   On 
  the 
  southern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  June 
  and 
  July 
  are 
  marked 
  by 
  

   a 
  lull 
  in 
  the 
  rainy 
  season. 
  Rainfall 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  slopes 
  is 
  sub- 
  

   stantially 
  greater 
  with 
  a 
  resulting 
  heavier 
  growth 
  of 
  vegetation 
  than 
  

   is 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

  

  The 
  vegetation 
  shows 
  variations 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  distinct 
  

   differences 
  in 
  altitude, 
  temperature, 
  and 
  rainfall. 
  In 
  the 
  areas 
  

  

  * 
  Useful 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  geography 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  de 
  Santa 
  Marta 
  and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  lowlands 
  are 
  

   to 
  he 
  found 
  in 
  Todd 
  and 
  Carriker 
  (1922, 
  p. 
  6 
  ff.), 
  Carriker 
  in 
  Ruthven 
  (1922, 
  p. 
  17 
  ff.), 
  and 
  Sievers 
  (1888). 
  

  

  Supplementary 
  data 
  on 
  the 
  geography, 
  including 
  the 
  flora, 
  are 
  available 
  in 
  Seifriz 
  (1934, 
  pp. 
  478-85), 
  and 
  

   Taylor 
  (1931). 
  

  

  