Through thousands of years different civilizations have preferred the welcoming lands of what today forms the department of Valle del Cauca, to develop their way of life and their culture, these different ways of seeing life is what makes up the Calima Culture which we will see in detail here.
Calima Culture
Calima Culture is the generic name given to a group of different cultures that occupied the valleys of the San Juan rivers, the Dagua river and the Calima river in the current department of Valle del Cauca in western Colombia, this region covers what that today is known as the municipalities of Restrepo, Calima Darién and, partially, Yotoco and Vijes, which is distinguished by its gentle hills, its abundance of water and its temperate climate.
These different cultures that make up the Calima culture settled in this area around the year 1600 BC until the 200th century AD, but they did not do so simultaneously. The latest archaeological research in Colombia proposes three cultures or three phases that are distinguished as the Ilama, from the year 100 to the year 100 or 200 BC; the Yotoco from the year 200 BC to the year 200 AD and the Sonso, from the year 200 AD, some sources include the Malagana Culture: from the year XNUMX BC to the year XNUMX AD
Geographic location
Archaeological sites of the Calima culture have been discovered in the central part of the eastern mountain ranges. The Cordillera is a natural fortress that separates the Pacific and Andes regions of Colombia, and is home to the famous Lake Calima and the Calima Summit. The height above sea level in this region varies from 1.2 to 1.5 km. The different cultures that made up the Calima culture were located in the western Cordillera of the Andes in the Colombian Southwest in the Valle del Cauca, at an altitude of 1.500 meters above sea level.
History
The term Calima culture refers to the settlements that have existed in this region since the XNUMXth century BC Apparently, the region has been inhabited since the beginning of the Holocene, around the XNUMXth century BC Thus, the Calima Culture corresponds to the period of formation of the chronology of the American continent. This culture disappeared before the arrival of the conquerors. There are similarities with the previous cultures of the region: the Ilama and the Yotoco.
It is known that the representatives of the Calima culture spoke the language of the Caribbean family linked to the Panches and the Muzos. The name of this town is unknown. The center of this culture was located in the territory of the modern municipalities of Darién and Restrepo. The appearance of ceramics and jewelry dates back to around fifteen to sixteen centuries. By way of life, the representatives of the Calima culture were originally hunters and gatherers.
Phases of the Calima Culture
The history of the Calima culture is divided into two major periods: the first hunter-gatherer period: the original and most primitive stage that lasted approximately six thousand years; agrarian and ceramic-producing cultures and societies: for study purposes it is divided into three phases: Ilama, Yotoco and Sonso; Due to the discovery in 1992 of a pre-Columbian Cemetery, some sources include the Malagana Culture.
Ilama Culture
The Ilama culture is an ancient culture located in the territory of modern Colombia, the department of Valle del Cauca, in the valleys of Calima (municipality of Darién) and El Dorado (municipality of Restrepo). According to archaeological data, it existed in the XNUMXth and XNUMXst centuries BC and gradually evolved into the Yotoco culture, which existed in the XNUMXst to XNUMXth centuries. The Ilama culture expanded to the north until reaching where today is the population of Belén de Umbría and to the south to the current municipalities of La Cumbre and Pavas.
Around the year XNUMX BC in the region of the Calima River, an ethnic community arose from which the Ilama culture originated. The archaeological finds, which are now considered to be related to the Ilama culture, were previously called the "early Calima culture".
The acidity of the soil has prevented the skeletal remains of the inhabitants of Calima from being preserved, which is why archaeologists base their claims on the objects made of ceramics found in the El Topacio and El Pital deposits and on alcarrazas, ceramic pieces made with clay. porous, bought by the Bogotá Gold Museum from looters.
Thanks to the study of these objects, it was concluded that the members of the Ilama community built their homes on the tops of the hills near the valleys and the water sources, in more or less concentrated and stable villages.
The subsistence base for the Ilama culture was mainly agriculture and, to a lesser extent but not least, fishing and hunting. The agriculture of the ilamas was based on the method of shifting cultivation, they cultivated the land until its nutrients were exhausted and then migrated to other sites. The most common crops were corn, cassava, beans, and some vegetables.
Another important activity for the ilamas was pottery, they made vessels with anthropomorphic or zoomorphic shapes. Ceramics were decorated by notching, appliqué, or painting. The paints used were of plant origin and their colors were red and black and with it motifs that generally had geometric patterns were highlighted.
The ilamas had the basic knowledge of foundry, blacksmithing, hammering, relief carving for their metallurgical tasks. They worked with gold and copper and with alloys of these two metals to make nose rings, necklaces, pectorals, and masks that they used in their rites.
The fact that the ilamas practiced semi-nomadic agriculture, pottery and metallurgical manufacturing suggests a certain social organization, so it follows that in addition to farmers, potters and metallurgists, their organization also had chiefs, shamans, warriors, etc.
Yotoco Culture
The Yotoco culture is one of the three that make up the Calima culture, they inhabited the Calima and Dorado valleys in the region that today belongs to the department of Valle del Cauca. The Yotocos are considered heirs of the Ilama culture that preceded them in the same territory between 1500 BC and the year zero.
It is considered that the Yotoco culture existed from the first century to the twelfth century, according to the archaeological material found in the territories occupied by the current populations of Bitaco, Tragedias, Dagua, Bolívar and Buga. The archaeological materials that have provided information on the existence of the Yotoco culture are made up of many ceramics, textiles, and metallurgical products. Human bone remains are not included, since the acidity of the land prevents their preservation.
The Yotoco population lived in small human concentrations and villages in the same places previously occupied by their ancestors, the Ilamas, and just like them, they built their homes on the tops of the hills where they flattened the land to form terraces.
After the arrival of other tribes in the area, the Yotoco population began to decline around the sixth century after Christ and by the thirteenth century of our era it was completely displaced from the hills by the Sonso culture. Upon descending from the summits, the Yotoco culture was assimilated by other different cultures until its total disappearance.
Using archaeological techniques, it has been known that the Yotoco practiced intensive agriculture of different crops, among which were corn, beans, cassava, arracacha, achiote and auyama. In the low-lying areas of their territory that were prone to flooding, they used different forms of channeling consisting of ditches and ridges and very probably using organic fertilizers.
The craftsmanship of the Yotocos is very outstanding as was that of their predecessors the Ilama. In general, their works consisted of bowls, pots, funerary urns, pitchers, plates, cups and alcarrazas, decorated with zoomorphic anthropomorphic motifs and geometric designs, which were applied using techniques similar to the Ilama with notches, applications or drawings. The Yotoco used notches less often and drawings more often than Ilama, although they could be one coloured, two coloured, or multicolored.
Yotoco metallurgy is a direct continuation of the metallurgical art of the Ilama culture. The metallurgists of the Yotoco culture were well versed in metal processing and casting technologies. The main technologies were hammering and embossing.
Among the findings were gold items, mainly: tiaras, nose rings, earrings, anklets, pectorals, bracelets, pendants, masks and many others. Fusion molding technology using wax models was used to make intricate brooches and masks. The granulation technique was used to make pyrite rosaries, rings and mirrors.
The various regions of the Yotoco were linked by an extensive network of roads. This shows the importance of barter and trade between the Yotoco culture and other local cultures. The width of the paths varied between eight meters and sixteen meters.
The Yotoco culture was obviously much more complex than the Ilama culture that preceded them in terms of its social structure. There was a deep stratification of society, the institution of village rulers. The intensive use of agriculture and the high level of pottery and metallurgical art show that there were professionals and specialists in Yotoco society. The elite was made up of caciques, shamans and warriors.
Sonso Culture
The Sonso culture is divided into the Early Sonso culture and the Late Sonso culture. The Sonso culture cohabited with the Yotoco culture on the banks to the north and south of the Calima River, starting in the Western Cordillera up to the mouth of the San Juan River, occupying the region that today is occupied by the current municipalities of La Cumbre, Pavas and Bitaco and the Valle del Río Cauca, from Amaime to the Río La Vieja. This occupation extended approximately from the year five hundred to the year one thousand.
During this period the construction of ridges in the flooded bottoms of the valleys were abandoned, emphasizing the use of the slopes and the construction of terraces for housing, in this aspect the inhabitants of this period stand out not only for the quantity but also by the monumental nature of the great earthworks.
The great changes in the shape of the burials, with large chambers at a depth of five to fifteen meters and the flooding of some tombs allowed the preservation of organic remains, sarcophagi, benches, rafts, shovels, spears, thrusters and darts.
The field of ceramics also underwent significant changes, the vessels of the Sonso culture have irregular profiles that contrast with the elegant lines of previous cultures. Zoomorphic representations in this period were not a main decorative theme as in previous periods. The representation of the anthropomorphic figures also changes, in the Sonso culture the human figures present a prominent nose with a nose ring, eyes presented in the “coffee bean” style without giving importance to the mouth.
Metallurgy is restricted to small ornamental objects such as penannular nose rings, twists and spiral earmuffs. The delicacy of the embossed sheet has been replaced by heavy rigidity using a very brittle gold-copper alloy.
Malagan culture
In 1992, at the Hacienda Malagana, the accidental discovery of some gold and ceramic trousseaus was made. After their discovery, the site fell victim to looters and guaqueros who carried out a large-scale illegal trade in archaeological objects. The National Institute of Archeology and History of Colombia designated a rescue commission directed by the archaeologist Marianne Cardale, this commission established an unknown cultural complex which they named Malagana Sonso.
At the Malagana farm, located near the Bolo River, in the municipality of Palmira in Valle del Cauca, a worker fell into a large hole with his tractor when the ground he was traveling on collapsed. When investigating the causes of the phenomenon, the worker found some gold items. By accident he had discovered an underground funerary gallery (hypogeum). The worker sold some of these objects, which attracted attention and soon the land was invaded by looters and guaqueros.
The horde of looters, some estimate at more than five thousand people, drew the attention of the media and the authorities. There was little the police and the army could do to prevent the almost total destruction of the old cemetery. It is estimated that the total looted at the site exceeds one hundred and eighty kilos. In 1992 the Museo de Oro in Bogotá received an impressive assortment of gold objects made in an unfamiliar style. Investigations have revealed that the source of the artifacts was the Hacienda Malagana.
In March of the year 1993, still with the presence of guaqueros, the archaeologists tried to do an investigation in the Malagana hacienda but after a few days they had to abandon the site. Despite the limited time, the archaeologists were able to examine three of the tombs and observe the stratigraphy of the site, which indicated a record of prolonged occupation. Investigators found gold beads and ceramic remains that were ignored by looters.
A radiocarbon dating of the residue found inside the containers gave an approximate date of seventy plus or minus sixty after Christ. After the site was finally abandoned by treasure hunters, the Malagana Archaeological Project was started in 1994.
This research project was under the responsibility of the Archaeological Museum of the Universidad del Valle, the Colombian Institute of Archeology, ICAN, and the Vallecaucano Institute of Scientific Research, INCIVA. The research team was made up of archaeologists, anthropologists, edafologists (soil specialists) and palynologists (pollen scholars). The group scheduled an excavation of approximately one thousand square meters around in order to find other signs that confirm the presence of some ancient settlement.
These excavations revealed a long and complex stratigraphy of seventeen burials, four periods of occupation, and additional radiocarbon dates. The periods of occupation were cataloged, the earliest period as "Proto Ilama" and the latest as Ilama, Malagana and Sonso. Thanks to these investigations it was determined that a totally different culture developed during the Malagana period.
The researchers worked on the excavations for two seasons, from the end of 1994 to the beginning of 1995. After analyzing the samples they collected, corresponding mainly to ceramic pieces, since gold objects were preferred in looting, for three years, there is an idea of the culture that inhabited the place. From the iconography on the objects, it can be deduced that there were commercial exchanges towards the southern areas up to what is now known as San Agustín and Tierradentro, and towards the east up to the current Tolima and Quimbaya.
The remains of carved stone (lithics), animal bones, human bone remains, fossil pollen and other materials were essential in the task of reconstructing the past. According to the researchers, the greatest importance of these discoveries is to be able to sequentially determine the historical and cultural development of the civilizations that occupied the Valle del Cauca region during the two thousand years that preceded the arrival of the Spanish.
The archaeologist Carlos Armando Rodríguez, director of the Archaeological Museum of the Universidad del Valle and co-director of the Project, indicates according to his studies «The first culture that existed was the Ilama culture, followed by the one located in the Malagana sector and the last corresponds to the Bolo Quebradaseca Culture, which was the one encountered by the Spanish conquerors».
The investigations are not conclusive in terms of determining that the remains found in the Malagana hacienda is a different culture, as some scholars maintain that there are many similarities with the Yotoco culture, so perhaps it could be considered a regional variant of this culture.
The challenges found in twelve pre-Columbian burials provided abundant information to the researchers with which they could determine sex, age, diet and even diseases that were suffered by the ancient populations of the region. The researchers were able to determine from the analyzed samples that the population's diet included the consumption of animal protein and vegetable protein.
Remains could be found that were identified as belonging to small mammals such as curies, rabbits and even dogs since at that time, the dog was domesticated to serve as food. A high incidence of dental caries was found, which scientists attribute to the consumption of sugars from carbohydrates, so the great importance of corn intake in pre-Columbian cultures is deduced, according to archaeologist Carlos Armando Rodríguez.
The wear on the teeth is consistent with that produced by chewing coca leaves. The existence among the population of diseases such as arthritis was also determined. Through the fossil pollen found at the site, scientists were able to have a complete picture of the environment in which this culture developed. It has now been possible to form a complete collection of plant species that existed more than two thousand years ago and were used by the inhabitants of these towns.
Among these plants, the palms that had multiple uses stand out mainly. Its stem was used in the construction of houses, its leaves are also used to roof them and its fruits were consumed as food.
The work carried out by the scientists was thorough. With the material of the ceramic objects, the researchers carried out studies of the paste, its composition and the manufacturing technique. The work begins by fragmenting the piece into very thin sections to be able to carry out a detailed analysis under the microscope and thus determine what materials were added to the clay to prevent it from breaking due to the high temperatures of firing.
With this analysis it was also possible to determine the color of the paste since this is a very important piece of information since using the table that is used by all archaeologists around the world, the cooking temperature can be determined and thus determine if for its elaboration they were Ovens used or not.
Since the collected material was broken and scattered, another of the most arduous and important tasks was the reconstruction of the pieces to determine the shape of the ceramics. "Culture is expressed through designs and by drawing the pieces we can know which element they corresponded to," explains archaeologist Rodríguez. Thanks to his hard work and his dedication, the archaeologists can give us an indication of the state of development of the settlement found in the Malagana hacienda.
Despite the havoc caused by the guaqueros and the looters of the place, the scientists were able to delve into their research and thus offer us more information about the pre-Columbian ancestors. Even so, the doubt remains that other information or messages were hidden by the other objects that could not be included in the investigation.
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