Reichel-dolmatoff - Space & Time

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Society for American Archaeology

A Preliminary Study of Space and Time Perspective in Northern ColombiaAuthor(s): Gerardo Reichel-DolmatoffSource: American Antiquity, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Apr., 1954), pp. 352-366Published by: Society for American ArchaeologyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/277603

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A PRELIMINARYSTUDY OF SPACE AND TIME PERSPECTIVEIN NORTHERN COLOMBIA

GERARDOREICHEL-DOLMATOFF

ALTHOUGH THE Republic of Colombiaoccupies a large area in northwesternSouth America and its geographical positionmakes it an important link between the basiccomponents of nuclear America, our knowl-edge of Colombia's prehistoric cultures is stillvery scanty and sporadic. Practically no seriousattempts have been made toward correlatingits many different cultural manifestations interms of temporal development or spatial dis-tribution. This has been due mainly to thelack of organized scientific archaeology and to

the romantic orientation most research hadtaken in Colombia, where archaeologists haveconcentrated upon the more spectacular cere-monial sites while ignoring almost completelythe problems of chronology and cultural inter-relations.The considerable advance made during thelast decade in the field of Venezuelan andAntillean archaeology, together with the manyunsolved problems posed by Meso-Americanand South American relationships, has pressedthe need for the establishment of an adequatechronological framework for the archaeologicalcultures of the north Colombian lowlands. Thearchaeological history of this area should beof great significance for the understanding of

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REICHEL-DOLMATOFF SPACEAND TIMEPERSPECTIVEN COLOMBIA 353cultural developments and relations, not onlywithin the circum-Caribbean area but also inthe neighboring regions.In recent years the writer has had the oppor-tunity of making a survey of the northernprovinces of Colombia borderingthe Caribbeanseaboard and of investigating in some detaila number of archaeological sites, principally inthe Department of Magdalena. This researchhas led to the tentative establishment of ageneral temporal framework. The present pa-per is intended to give a summary of the arch-aeological areas and cultural sequences as theyhave been postulated to date. It is necessaryto state, however, that this research is still inits initial stages and that the validity of theprovisional framework suggested here will nec-essarily have to be substantiated and the frame-work revised as field research advances.With the exception of J. Alden Mason's(1931, 1936, 1939) extensive field work in theTairona area in 1922-23, no systematic archae-ological research had been accomplished inthe Department of Magdalena nor in any otherregion of the Atlantic coast previous to 1946,when the writer and his wife began a surveyfollowed by a series of excavations in selectedsites (Reichel-Dolmatoff, 1951). Since 1950this program has been continued in part by asmall group of other Colombian archaeologistsstationed in Barranquilla and Santa Marta. Sofar, the results of these investigations havebeen rather promising and have given an en-tirely new orientation to Colombian archaeol-ogy in general.Geographically the Department of Magda-lena can be subdivided into four major regions(Fig. 93): the arid coastal strip which extendswest of the Guajira Peninsula, covering the flatcountry bordering the lower Rancheria Riverand parts of the coast to the south and eastof the town of Santa Marta; the Sierra Nevadade( Santa Marta, an isolated mountain masswhich occupies most of the northern portionof the Department; the semiaquatic and slight-ly undulating lowlands to the south af. theSierra Nevada, neighboring the MagdalenaRiver and its tributary, the Cesar; and thewestern slopes of the Sierra de Perija',whichin this part of the country forms the northern-most tip of the Andean system. All four re-gions are sharply differentiated by physio-graphic and climatic factors, offering habitatswith distinctive ecological conditions which

range from the sandy deserts of the GuajiraPeninsula to the snow-capped peaks of theSierra Nevada and the tropical jungle beltwhich surrounds the base of the Sierra. A con-siderable number of additional distinctive fea-tures might justify further subdivision intominor regions, but for the purpose of our cul-tural outline the four-fold division stated abovecan be considered fairly adequate.On the basis of the archaeological remainsobserved in the course of our investigations,we have come to distinguish five archaeologicalareas, which correspond in a certain degreeto the geographical regions of Figure 93. Theseareas are: Rancheria River, Cesar River, LowerMagdalena River, Sierra Nevada, and Littoral.In the following pages I shall discuss brieflythese areas, their cultural characteristics, timeperspective, spatial aspects, and possible rela-tionships.Rancheria River. This area covers the flatand arid country of the Rancheria River, be-tween the northeastern foothills of the SierraNevada, the deserts of the Guajira Peninsula,and the western slopes of the Sierra de Perij'a.Our cultural material comes from 22 of the36 open sites which we visited. Altogether,we dug 7 stratigraphic test trenches and made

18 surface collections. The total of sherdsalone amounts to some 80,000. All trencheswere dug in midden sites or other accumula-tions of occupational debris, none of themdeeper than about 2 meters; in three of thetrenches a stratification of occupational levelswas observed. Chronological sequences weredefined by superposition and, in some cases,by typological comparisons. To designate thesequences in this and other areas, the namesof type sites have been used (Reichel-Dolmatoffand Dussan de Reichel, 1951).The earliest time level has been termed theLoma period. It is characterizedby polychromepottery and incised, smoked blackware, theoutstanding decorative feature of which is thesigmoid scroll. There is also a white-slipped,rather coarse ware decorated with black or reddesigns similar to those observed in the poly-chrome ware. Culinary sherds are of a coarsebrownish type. There is a considerable varietyof rim forms, although vessel shapes seem tohave been rather standardized. Annular basesand handles are absent. We obtained only a

few nonceramic artifacts, such as fragments


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354 AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [ 4, 1954

. . . .:.

. :

.... . , .~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.,,. _

to4 !

7 It 13

FIG. 94. Paleo-Indian, Formative and Archaic (?) materials. 1-2, flint arrowheads; 3-8, Isla de los Indios;9-14, region of Santa Marta (scale varies).


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REICHEL.DOLMATOFF ] SPACE AND TIME PERSPECTIVEIN COLOMBIA 355

*a_............0s..o_r_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~............................. . .:........ . . :......_

i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~................. ..;..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~....... ... j~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~...._. .. . ...................... .. . ...... . .

_ l . t _ :....................._~~~~~~~~~~~..I.....' . . | tif_ 6 ......... ......... ............ .........~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 S _ . 6 . . . N N~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ ........ | s . _1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. . . . . ... . . . | s ...*_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ ... . . ] l w. 10~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . ? l |-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

, ?,i __ . .. ... ... ... ..... :_.?^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- - < _ ... -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..?...

1 :;:....:o -; w .o ; . . o..v~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. ....

FIG. 95.1-4, 6, 8, 10, La Mesa (sub-Tairona);5, 7, 9, 11415,Pueblito(TairQnaI) (scale varies).


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356 AMERICANANTIQUITY [ 4, 1954of hammerstones and celts. No burials wererecorded.Overlying this culture is that of the Hornoperiod, which has been subdivided into twodevelopmental phases on typological grounds.The Horno period shows a further develop-ment of the Loma tradition, with a certainshift of emphasis from polychrome to bichrometypes and new developments in the decorativefeatures of the blackware. All types corre-spond closely to Loma wares, although thewhite-slipped type is missing here. In theupper levels the polychrome ware fades outwhile a new redware emerges from the basicculinary type. Annular bases and vertical straphandles are frequent in the upper levels. Thereis a great variety in rim types and consider-able experimenting in modeled decoration.Small female clay figurines, which were al-ready present during Loma times, develop fullyin the Horno levels, which also contain agreater amount of nonceramic artifacts, suchas small slate pendants, shell beads, and pot-tery discs. No burials were observed. As inthe Loma period, the wide extension and thick-ness of the refuse deposits seem to indicatepermanent settlements. While the Loma com-ponent is represented mainly by the type site,the Horno period is known from at least halfa dozen sites spread over a considerable partof the valley.After the Horno period there seems to bea considerable cleavage between horizons. Fortypological reasons the writer is inclined tobelieve that this gap was at least partially filledby the Cocos period, represented in the Ran-cheria area only by the type site but probablyforming a broader transitional development. Itis difficult to place the Cocos site satisfactorilyin the sequence but certain ceramic similaritieslead us to assume that it represents a develop-ment from the Horno period. A new white-slipped ware with black parallel-line designsmakes its appearance and is the most charac-teristic feature of this culture. Nonceramicartifacts are very scarce; no burials were ob-served.Following this level there appears an entirelynew cultural tradition, represented by thePortacelli period (phases I and II). Althoughthis may have certain ties with the Cocosperiod, it appears to form a well-defined newculture. Its most distinctive features are corru-gated ware, fine black-on-red painted ware

with ornithomorphic designs, and quite a dif-ferent type of female figurines. Blackware isentirely missing and all incised decoration isconfined to some rare specimens of the corru-gated ware. Among the nonceramic artifacts,a number of nose rings (?) of shell can bementioned. The two phases of developmentwere distinguished on the basis of stylisticanalysis and the presence or absence of certaintraits. Corrugated pottery appears only in themore recent phase and may represent a tradeware. Several primary burials of adults withundoubted Portacelli associations were observedin refuse deposits of the Horno period. A seriesof isolated cylindrical burial urns might alsobe associated, if we can judge by similaritiesin rim sherds and painted decoration. ThePortacelli focus includes at least ten sites in thewhole area, the contemporaneity of which ap-pears to be fairly certain. Its relatively recentchronological position, with regard to the Lomaand Horno periods, seems to be proved beyondreasonable doubt by superposition.Cesar River. This area, situated south of theRancheria, covers the upper drainage of theCesar River (Fig. 93). The lower foothills ofthe eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada andpart of the western slopes of the neighboringSierra de Perija'probably should be included.The cultural material comes from five strati-graphical cuts, one burial cave, and three sur-face collections. The total of sherds is approxi-mately 25,000.The earliest, La Paz period has been postu-lated from the cultural remains observed in aburial cave, which contained some 120 cre-mated skeletons, a number of well-preservedpottery vessels, and a series of artifacts of stone,bone, and wood (Reichel-Dolmatoff, 1949).The dominant pottery is a white-on-red resistnegative ware associated with stone palettes,spear throwers, and miscellaneous stone imple-ments of utilitarian character. From ceramictypology it may be suggested that this materialforms part of an early horizon preceding theLoma-Horno sequence but this is, of course,open to verification by stratigraphic evidence.So far, we know of only one small La Paz-typesherd found in Loma association (Reichel-Dolmatoff and Dussatnde Reichel, 1951, p. 91).The so-called Hatico period seems to covera considerable time span and does not appearto have any relation to the preceding (?) La Paz

material. Hatico pottery is decorated by inci-


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REICHEL-DOLMATOFF ] SPACEAND TIMEPERSPECTIE N COLOMBIA 357

6;

'I~ ~~~~~~~13

14

15

IT 1889Faio. 6. First Painted Horizon. 1-10, El Homo; 11-18, La Loma;19, Momp6s (scale varies).


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358 AMER1CAN NTIQUITY [ 4, 1954

4 ..: ..::. . . ;i:; S * l h ... ...:~~~~~~~~~~~~~..

... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. ...... ..:e.,1

17~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... .,_....._.:

.. . .. ... ;-__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

FiG.97. 1-7, Los Cocos (Second Painted Horizon); 8I17, El Hatico(Second Painted Horizon); 18-24, La Paz (scale varies).


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REICIIEL-DOLMAIOFF ] SPACE AND TIME PERSI'ECTIVE IN COLOMBIA 359sion, both reduced firing and oxidized waresbeing present. As a whole, this seems to bea local development derived from a southerntradition seen in the Saloa Incised wares ofthe Lower Magdalena area. Many decorativeelements, such as the developing variants ofthe sigmoid scroll and the appearance of somesherds closely related to Horno painted wares,suggests contemporaneity of the Hatico andLoma-Horno sequences.Overlying the Hatico remains there appearsmodified Portacelli material, probably repre-senting a later development of the full Porta-celli II phase of the Rancheria River. Occa-sional trade sherds from the Saloa complexfrom the Lower Magdalena area are foundhere. Urn burial in plain, ovoid-shaped vesselswas probably practised during the latter partof the Hatico period.The validity of the Cesar River area is evi-dently open to further verification and ulti-mately we might come to consider it as a pe-ripheral complex which combines character-istics of both the Rancheria and the LowerMagdalena areas. Although it forms in certainways a unit apart, it is not quite a clear-cutcultural area.

Lower Magdalena River. This area covers avery extensive region between the "panhandle"in the southern tip of the Department andthe mouth of the Magdalena River (Fig. 93).Part of the lower Cesar River and the regionbordering the Laguna de Zapatosa are includedhere. So far we know only a small section ofthe area, limited mainly to the southern por-tion of the Department, but sporadic finds indi-cate its wide range. There are at least 50known sites in the southern part of the area.Our cultural material comes from three strati-graphic trenches, two extensive burial grounds,four surface collections, and a number of spor-adic finds. The total of sherds examined sofar amounts to some 42,000. All accumula-tions of occupational debris were found to bevery shallow, from 50 to 75 cm., although theyare widespread and very rich in cultural re-mains. The chronological position of the differ-ent time levels was established by taking aSpanish-contact site as point of departure, bycross-dating, and by typology.The earliest period seems to be representedby a surface collection from a small islandnear the eastern shore of the Laguna de Zapa-

tosa called Isla de los Indios, which lies belowwater level most of the year. It is characterizedby thick-walled, straight-rimmed vessels withcoarse sand temper, decorated by rocker-stamp-ing or broad, shallow incision. This wouldindicate a formative horizon, the nature andextent of which we still know very little.Nevertheless, there is some evidence, acquiredduring the course of our survey, which seemsto indicate that it has a broad distribution innorthern Colombia and which may ultimatelylead to the definition of a rather homogeneouscultural horizon. In addition to the type site,similar materials were found in surface collec-tions from the eastern banks of the MagdalenaRiver, some sites in the lowlands south of theSierra Nevada, from the country surroundingSanta Marta, and from several sites near themouth of the Magdalena River.This horizon is succeeded by a great timegap, from which we have at present only afew scattered finds of painted pottery. Follow-ing the gap is the Saloa I period, a quite recenttime level just antedating the Spanish conquest.The main traits of this period are yellowishor reddish wares;deeply incised decoration withparallel-hatched or herringbone designs; com-binations of incised and punctate patterns;grater-bowls; a large variety of rim types; anda very characteristicdecorative mode consistingof the application of small, flattened claypellets, each provided with a diagonal notchwhich makes it appear like an "eye." Annular-based vessels are common. Only one ware, theleast frequent, shows small, red-slipped cupswith high annular bases, decorated with lineardesigns painted in black, and with modeledfrog-motives near the rim. This ware seemsto represent a final, clearly degenerative de-velopment of the Portacelli black-on-red cupswith bird designs. The chronological contempo-raneity of urn burials was established throughtheir association with Saloa I wares. Burialurns consist of large cylindrical containers pro-vided with a lid, upon which an anthropo-morphic bust is modeled. All urns were foundin groups, in L-shaped tombs (Reichel-Dolma-toff and Duss'ande Reichel, 1943).The Saloa II period is represented by aSpanish-contact site and surface collectionsfrom sites 50 kilometers south of the first.Somechanges in form and decoration are readilydiscernible. Cylindrical carved stamps are fre-quent, as also are small clay spindle whorls


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360 AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [ 4, 1954

-.4~~~~~~~

9 . 10FIG.98. Second Painted Horizon. 1-10, Portacelli (scale varies).


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REICILEL-DOLMATOFF ] SPACEAND TIME PERSPECTIVEN COLOMBIA 361and several types of celts and adzes. Pure ham-mered gold seems to have been common inboth Saloa periods, and in Saloa II there isalso evidence for the use of copper ornaments.

Sierra Nevada. This area covers the isolatedmountain mass situated in the northern portionof the Department of Magdalena (Fig. 93). Itincludes some of the beaches to the east andsouth of Santa Marta, but is otherwise limitedto the foothills and mountain slopes, reachingoccasionally up to more than 2,000 meters alti-tude above sea level. There are several hun-dred known sites, some of them of great exten-sion and covering many square kilometers ofterrain. The cultural material which was usedfor typological and chronological analysis comesfrom some 30 house sites, 3 ceremonial housesites, 6 rock-crevices, 3 major burial grounds,and some 25 surface collections. Many sitescontained well-preserved pottery; the sherdmaterial reaches nearly 80,000 specimens.This area is by far the most complicated andproblematic one. While the recent time levelsare represented by a highly developed culture,the older levels seem to show a great culturaldiversity. The establishment of an approximatetime scale proved to be difficult because of theapparent lack of cultural deposits deep enoughfor stratigraphic analysis. As a matter of fact,the common house sites contain cultural strataof hardly more than 25 cm., while most refusewas thrown into deep and narrow crevices inthe rocks, a practice which makes systematicexcavation nearly impossible. A tentativechronological sequence was postulated byworking back from Spanish-contact sites, byhorizontal comparisonsof typological series, andby occasional cross-dating.On the early time level, all data are highlyspeculative. A paleo-Indian horizon is sug-gested by some flint points found occasionallyand without controlled associations. So farthere is no evidence for a later pre, or non,ceramic horizon, and only little evidence for aformative stage, represented in this area bysporadic surface finds of a type similar to theIsla de los Indios material (see the CesarRiver area, discussion).There exist several foci of cultural materialswhich could possibly be interpreted as archaicin type, preceding the formative, although thequestion whether we are dealing here withdistinct cultures or only with limited ceramic

complexes will be open to discussion until morework has been done in this area. The maincharacteristics are very crude, female clayfigurines; clay pestles; coarse, sand-temperedredware; biomorphic lug-handles; and someobjects of shell.As in the Lower Magdalena area, thesematerials seem to be separated from the recentcultural levels by a broad time span, bridgedonly by scattered finds of painted pottery. Thediscovery of a number of house sites containingSpanish contact material has served as a basisfor the establishment of a typological seriescorresponding to the early (?) sixteenth cen-tury. By comparison of this series with the oneobtained from noncontact sites and rock,crevices, it has been possible to establish anearlier time level and to suggest a tentativesequence of two periods. These have beentermed Tairona I and II, after the sixteenth-century tribe which occupied part of the area.Tairona II is by no means degenerate butmarks the cultural climax, while Tairona Izan be distinguished as an earlier level. Themain characteristicsof Tairona II are megalithicdomestic and ceremonial architecture, agri-cultural terraces, redware and smoked black-ware, the absence of all painted decorationand emphasis upon modeled biomorphic de-signs, tubular necklace beads of highly polishedquartz, tetrapod vessels, monolithic axes, wing-shaped stone ornaments, ornaments of gold,gilded copper or "tumbaga," biomorphic claywhistles of excellent craftsmanship, etc.Tairona I is characterized by a far less de-veloped domestic architecture and a generallack of emphasis upon ceremonialism, thewhole complex of monolithic axes, stonemaces, and wing - shaped ornaments beingabsent. Although the basic red- and blackwaresare already present, they differ in surface finishand an additional type is represented by brown,slipped storage vessels. Characteristic shapesinclude redware cups with inverted rims, con-cave-based blackware jars, ring-shaped vesselsin form of coiled reptiles, and large shallowtrays with loop handles. Short conical pestlesof coarse clay occur frequently as do ladleswith cylindrical handles, which are often bio-morphic. Among the distinctive minor traitsare a modeled frog motive; round instead ofcoffee-bean eyes; and large, oval depressionscovering the upper part of the red- and brown-ware storage vessels, at the base of the neck.


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362 AMERICANANTIQUITY [ 4, 1954

. .i__;~~~~~~~~~~ _

I0

-14 ~ 1

. .s ..*.....I....... ...

Fio. 99. 1-10, Saloa II; 11-16, Saloa I; 19, Tamalameque; 17, 18, 20, 21,Costa de Salamanca (scale varies).


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REIClHEL-DOLMATOFF I SPACE AND TIME PERSPECTIVEIN COLOMBIA 363

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...............................'t_....

* 1

21 22 23 24FIG. 100. 1-24, Tairona II (scale varies).


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364 AMIERICAN ANTIQUITY l 4, 1954There are at least two types of burial, stonecists and anthropomorphic or plain ovoid urns,probably representing different time levels.The identification of deeper levels whichmight link Tairona I with the earlier culturesis one of the main problems awaiting solutionin this area. On the southern and eastern slopesa new focus was observed which typologicallyseems to be ancestral to Tairona I and whichwe have tentatively designated sub-Tairona.However, the chronological position of thisfocus is highly problematic. The presence ofreadily identifiable sherds of Portacelli II waresin the sites of this focus, and the intrusion ofsome sub-Tairona materials into the latestPortacelli developments of the Cesar area, indi-cate contemporaneity, and in addition, manycharacteristics of the suggested sub-Taironaperiod seem to be ancestral forms of TaironaI traits. Nevertheless, it is possible that thismay instead be a local development parellelingto some degree the Tairona I and II phases.The postulated sub-Tairona period is charac-terized by urn burial in anthropomorphic,ovoid - shaped vessels with a human facemodeled on the wall of the container; red-and-blackwares with poorly controlled firing;femalefigurines (one of them sitting upon a four-legged stool); pure, hammered gold ornaments;spindle whorls; and necklace beads, the latterof Tairona I or II type. Recent excavations inthe Rio Seco drainage seem to make possiblea subdivision of this period into smallerchronological units, based upon seriation ofgrave associations.

Littoral. This area covers the narrow stripof arid coastal plains south of Santa Marta; theCosta de Salamanca, which separates theCienaga Grande from the open sea; and someof the beaches and surrounding flat countryeast of Santa Marta (Fig. 93). There is someevidence of a possible extension onto theGuajira Peninsula and, towards the west, overthe coastal plains of the Departments ofAtlantico and Cordoba. There are some 30open sites, mostly shell mounds and middens.All cultural materials considered here are thosefrom surface collections. The total of sherdsamounts to some 10,000. The main character-istics of this area are large accumulations of seashells mixed with sherds and occasional arti-facts of bone, stone, and metal (copper andgold). There is no evidence of permanentvillage sites but rather of temporary fishingcamps. Although Tairona I and IItype pottery

occurs frequently in association, the Littoralarea is characterized by a different ceramiccomplex consisting of yellowish, rose-colored,or grayish wares, the occasional use of shelltemper, and the considerable hardness of allwares as compared with the Sierra Nevadamaterials. Stonehammers and scrapers arecommon, as are also small necklace beads madefrom different-colored clay or from shell. Itis apparent that some of these materials arecontemporary with Tairona II, but on the otherhand a considerable time depth is suggested bydeep and extensive accumulations of refuse.A seriation of recent materials was establishedby cross-datingwith the Tairona wares.

CONCLUSIONSThe five archaeological areas we have dealtwith in the foregoing summary, can be partlycorrelated by overlapping horizons or cross-dating. An approximate correlation is outlinedin Table 15 which shows the five correspondingcolumns with their proposed sequences. Be-ginning with the earliest time level and takinginto account the sporadic data on flint imple-ments, it seems possible to suggest a paleo-Indian horizon common to all five areas. Asfar as truly archaic pottery is concerned, ourdata are just as scanty. On a formative levelwe have mentioned some materials from atleast two areas (Lower Magdalena and SierraNevada).As to the earlier painted wares, representedby the Loma-Horno sequence in the RancheriaRiver area, the writer is inclined to believe thatthey once had a very considerable range andthat they form a true horizon. From typologicalevidence derived from occasional finds, theyspread over a wide region, possibly from Vene-zuela to Panama. In the Lower Magdalena areathis horizon seems to be represented by thepolychrome burial urns found in the vicinity ofMompos and by some superficial sherds fromthe region of Plato. In the Sierra Nevada theyreached the area of Pueblo Bello on the south-ern slopes and in the arid country surroundingSanta Marta they may be identified with certainpainted sherds from the region of Mamatoco.In the area of the Cesar River, closely similarmaterials come from a surface site in thewestern foothills of the Sierra de Perija, in thevicinity of the Laguna de Zapatosa.The second painted horizon (if one may callit so) is represented by the Cocos and Portacelli


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REICHEL-DOLMATOFF ] SPACE AND TIME PERSPECTIVE IN COLOMBIA 365

wares and also seems to have had a wide distri-bution, as far as we can judge from intrusivesherds found here and there in the neighboringareas. This horizon, it is felt, can be equated intime with another wide horizon of incisedwares, both occupying a recent position.It is possible that certain types of burialurns might have a chronological significanceand it is probable that the ovoid plain typeand the anthropomorphic types are representa-tive of different time levels. The more realisticanthropomorphic urns seem to be quite recentand the writer is inclined to consider the so-called "Mosquito" urns, the Tamalamequeurns, and the Sinu' urns as belonging to onetime level (cf. Bennett, 1944, pp. 78-9, 89-91,Table 9).

It is tempting to try to suggest certain correla-tions with broader cultural configurations andto link our framework with some of the Vene-zuelan and Panamanian developments, but suchan attempt would be very speculative in thepresent state of our knowledge of northernColombian archaeology. So far, all investiga-tions have had mainly the character of a gen-eral survey and only the barest outline ofcultural development can be presented here.The archaeological history of the interiorprovinces of Colombia is, of course, much toolittle known to permit any valid correlations orgeneralizations. However, it is probable thatin the near future such a wider correlationmight be attempted with a better claim forvalidity than can be done at the present.TABLE 15

Postulated Rancheria Cesar Lower Sierra LittoralHorizons Magdalena Nevada Ltoa

Saloa II Tairona Salamanca

None Saloa I Saloa I TaironaPortacelli

IIIPortacelli

Second Portacelli Sub-Painted )Tairona

Cocos (?Hatico

Horno II

First Horno IPainted

Loma Mompos(?) Mamatoco (?)

La PazFormative (?)

Isla de los IndiosArchaic ?Paleo-Indian


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366 AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [ 4, 1954BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANGULO VALDES, CARLOS1951. Arqueologia de Tubara. Divulgaciones del

Instituto de Investigaci6n Etnol6gica, Univer-sidad del Atlantico, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 7-53.Barranquilla.

BENNETT, WENDELL C.1944. Archeological Regions of Colombia: a Ce-

ramic Survey. Yale University Publications inAnthropology, No. 30. New Haven.

MASON, J. ALDEN1931. Archaeology of Santa Marta, Colombia, the

Tairona Culture; Part I, Report on Field Work.Field Museum of Natural History, Anthropo-logicat Series, Vol. 20, No. 1. Chicago.

1936. Archaeology of Santa Marta, Colombia, theTairona Culture; Part II, Section 1, Objects ofStone, Shell, Bone and Metal. Field Museutmof Natural History, Anthropological Series,Vol. 20, No. 2. Chicago.

1939. Archaeology of Santa Marta, Colombia, theTairona Culture; Part II, Section 2, Objects ofPottery. Field Museum of Natural History,Anthropological Series, Vol. 20, No. 3. Chicago.

OPPENHEIM, VICTOR1941. Nueva cultura arqueol6gica en Colombia.

Boletin de la Sociedad Geografica de Colombia,Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 89-95. Bogota.

REICHEL-DOLMATOFF, ERARDO1949. La cueva funeraria de La Paz. Boletin de

Arqueologia, Vol. 2, Nos. 5-6, pp. 403-12.Bogota.

1951. Notes on the Present State of Anthropologi-cal Research in Northern Colombia. Bogota.

REICHEL-DOLMATOFF,GERARDO AND ALICIA DUSSAN DEREICHEL

1943. Las urnas funerarias en la cuenca del RioMagdalena. Revista del Instituto Etnol6gicoNacional, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 209-81. Bogo6t.

1951. Investigaciones arqueol6gicas en el Depto.del Magdalena, Colombia, 1946-1950; Parte I,arqueologia del Rio Rancheria; Parte II, Arque-ologia del Rio Cesar. Boletin de Arqueologia,Vol. 3, Nos. 1-6, pp. 1-334. Bogota.

Instituto Colombiano de AntropologiaBogo6t, Colombia, S.A.Jtlly, 1953

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Reichel-dolmatoff - Space & Time