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During the first thousand
years of our era, at the height of the introduction of maize agriculture
in other parts of the country, the area of the lower San Jorge River and
vast neighboring zones were inhabited by societies that cultivated root
crops and lived in centralized villages, built on platforms near the
numerous rivers and pools of the region. The people of this period of
occupation cleared more than 200,000 acres of land to cultivate manioc.
By constructing canals and ridges, they were able to regulate the flow
of water in periods of both drought and flooding. In other words, the
history of these communities is one of extraordinary technical
development, associated with root crop horticulture. However, even
though later than in other places, here too maize agriculture eventually
replaced the intensive cultivation of manioc, favoring profound changes
in their lifestyle.
The early dense occupation of the region, associated with the
construction of canals and ridges, is linked to groups that produced
incised ceramics and manufactured pieces of goldwork which imitated
designs and techniques from Quimbaya Classic. Although it would be
presumptuous to assume that the enormous territory containing
agricultural infrastructure was completely under cultivation at a given
time, it would seem reasonable to presume that these societies were
relatively complex, capable of deploying an abundant work force for
agricultural purposes. This would imply a centralized organization of
the labor force, and, therefore, the existence of civil specialists.
This seems ratified, certainly, by the existence of enormous funerary
mounds equipped with rich burial offerings that denote important
hierarchies, and by the widespread diffusion of figurines representing
political and religious leaders.
In periods following 900 A.D., the area of the lower Magdalena was
occupied by diverse societies classified as Malibu. They were groups of
maize agriculturists each of which conserved their political
independence, except in times of war, when military leaders assumed
political control. Little is known of the relationship between these
groups, and the occupation prior to their existence. Some authors are
inclined to believe that they were "invaders", but even if this is true,
we still have no knowledge concerning the pressures and conditions that
led to population movements.
When the Spaniards arrived, the northern part of Colombia was
characterized by a notable development of regional specialization in
craft production. The- Malib6, in addition to intensely cultivating
maize, dedicated an important part of their time to hunting and fishing.
The areas surrounding the population of Mompos were well known for
cotton, abundant fishing, and goldworking. The natives of Galerazamba;
north of Cartagena, were famed for the production of salt and fish,
while San Jacinto specialized in textiles.
Sinu goldworking from the early periods corresponds, as has already been
noted, to developments similar to .those of Quimbaya Classic. The Sinu
produced pure gold decorative figures as staff ends, pectorals, nose
rings, and representations of animals with raised tails, which denote
ties to the societies of the Andes of Antioquia, Uraba, and Central
America. Later, the elaboration of tumbaga staff ends would be their
predominant goldworking activity, particularly in the lower Magdalena
River Valley. Mompos, for its part, had specialized in casting tumbaga
nose rings and ear ornaments. Once again, as in the south, the
manufacture of large quantities of objects replaces the production of
few, but spectacular, pieces. The difference, however, is that for the
Sinu, as in the northern part of the country in general, we are
referring to late goldwork developments, which from their outset
included knowledge of techniques for casting with the lost wax process
and smelting complex alloys. |
