﻿Vol.2] 
  HIGHLAND 
  TRIBES, 
  S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  939 
  

  

  of 
  manioc, 
  arracacha, 
  potatoes, 
  beans, 
  sweet 
  maize, 
  and 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   meat. 
  Meat 
  is 
  sometimes 
  roasted. 
  Maize, 
  the 
  staple, 
  is 
  made 
  into 
  

   tortillas 
  or 
  soup, 
  or 
  is 
  roasted 
  on 
  the 
  ear. 
  Coffee, 
  much 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  

   consumed, 
  is 
  roasted 
  in 
  a 
  pottery 
  vessel, 
  ground, 
  and 
  made 
  into 
  an 
  

   infusion 
  sweetened 
  with 
  coarse 
  sugar. 
  

  

  Kitchen 
  utensils 
  include 
  pottery 
  ollas 
  and 
  vessels, 
  and 
  a 
  footless 
  

   elliptical 
  stone 
  metate 
  with 
  a 
  central 
  concavity, 
  which 
  lies 
  directly 
  on 
  

   the 
  floor 
  or 
  is 
  supported 
  on 
  sticks 
  driven 
  in 
  the 
  soil. 
  Meat 
  is 
  kept 
  

   smoked 
  over 
  the 
  fireplace, 
  and 
  other 
  food 
  is 
  stored 
  on 
  shelves 
  of 
  cane 
  

   woven 
  into 
  the 
  roof 
  sticks 
  or 
  in 
  hanging 
  hemp 
  bags 
  or 
  gourds. 
  Each 
  

   gourd 
  has 
  a 
  broad 
  half 
  -gourd 
  suspended 
  above 
  it, 
  open 
  side 
  down, 
  so 
  

   that 
  a 
  rat 
  descending 
  from 
  above 
  slides 
  off 
  the 
  gourd 
  onto 
  the 
  floor. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  daily 
  meal 
  is 
  taken 
  at 
  daybreak 
  and 
  consists 
  of 
  "mute." 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  noonday 
  meal, 
  but 
  the 
  evening 
  repast 
  resembles 
  break- 
  

   fast. 
  Between 
  meals, 
  the 
  Indians 
  chew 
  coca 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  to 
  

   sustain 
  their 
  strength 
  and 
  allay 
  hunger. 
  For 
  refreshment 
  and 
  stim- 
  

   ulation, 
  they 
  drink 
  guarapo, 
  carrying 
  it 
  to 
  work 
  in 
  gourds. 
  

  

  They 
  cultivate 
  pepper 
  (aji) 
  for 
  a 
  condiment, 
  but 
  purchase 
  salt 
  in 
  

   the 
  weekly 
  market. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  so 
  scarce 
  that 
  instead 
  of 
  mixing 
  it 
  

   with 
  food 
  they 
  pass 
  a 
  lump 
  around, 
  each 
  person 
  licking 
  it. 
  Before 
  the 
  

   Conquest, 
  three 
  salt 
  deposits 
  were 
  exploited 
  in 
  this 
  territory, 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  being 
  that 
  near 
  the 
  modern 
  municipality 
  of 
  Belalcazar 
  or 
  

   Paez. 
  Here 
  the 
  local 
  chief 
  had 
  the 
  salt 
  water 
  boiled 
  down 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   blocks 
  of 
  salt, 
  which 
  he 
  traded 
  with 
  other 
  tribes 
  for 
  diverse 
  products, 
  

   or 
  with 
  which 
  he 
  bought 
  help 
  in 
  his 
  wars 
  against 
  the 
  neighboring 
  

   Pijao. 
  Sometimes 
  he 
  permitted 
  other 
  Pdez 
  to 
  exploit 
  the 
  deposit. 
  

   Near 
  the 
  present-day 
  Indian 
  center 
  of 
  Eicaurte 
  on 
  the 
  Ullucos 
  River 
  

   is 
  another 
  salt 
  works 
  that 
  was 
  much 
  used 
  in 
  ancient 
  times, 
  but 
  today 
  is 
  

   abandoned. 
  Another 
  source 
  of 
  salt 
  was 
  at 
  Huila, 
  where, 
  during 
  the 
  

   Conquest, 
  the 
  Indians 
  ambushed 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  who 
  sought 
  it, 
  and 
  

   killed 
  their 
  horses. 
  

  

  HOUSES 
  AND 
  VILLAGES 
  

  

  Each 
  Pdez 
  and 
  Moguex 
  family 
  has 
  its 
  own 
  house, 
  located 
  on 
  a 
  point 
  

   or 
  flat 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  its 
  neighbors. 
  The 
  

   aboriginal 
  house 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  rectangular, 
  which 
  still 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  

   form. 
  It 
  was 
  so 
  lightly 
  constructed 
  of 
  cane 
  and 
  sticks 
  with 
  thatched 
  

   roof 
  that 
  the 
  Spanish 
  soldiers 
  during 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  San 
  Vicente 
  de 
  

   Paez 
  "carried 
  some 
  Indian 
  houses 
  to 
  their 
  barracks 
  because 
  they 
  

   were 
  small 
  and 
  suited 
  to 
  it" 
  (Aguado, 
  1931, 
  vol. 
  3, 
  book 
  16, 
  ch. 
  9). 
  

   Some 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  dwelling, 
  they 
  always 
  built 
  a 
  small 
  woman's 
  

   house. 
  Under 
  Spanish 
  influence, 
  some 
  houses 
  were 
  divided 
  into 
  

   rooms, 
  and 
  built 
  more 
  solidly 
  of 
  "bahareque" 
  construction, 
  i. 
  e., 
  walls 
  

   consisting 
  of 
  two 
  faces 
  of 
  sticks 
  with 
  mud 
  and 
  rocks 
  between 
  (pi. 
  185). 
  

  

  