TAYRONA – “SONS OF THE TIGER”

Who are the Tayrona?

The Tairona were an indigenous group that lived in the Colombian departments of Magdalena, Guajira, and Cesar, at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, including the basins of the Guachaca, Don Diego, Buritaca rivers, and the low coastal zone within the Tayrona National Natural Park.

Photo taken from: https://www.gtush.com/cultura-tairona/

The name Tairona means "Sons of the Tiger," an indigenous family that honored every being of nature where they were privileged to live. When the Spanish arrived, the Tairona resorted to their warrior nature to stop their impositions. Overpowered by numbers and weapons, the Tairona had to move deeper into the mountains and the coast, an area of high peaks that discouraged invaders and, in some way, protected the tribes from total extermination. However, what the weapons did not do, the diseases brought from Europe by gold and destruction-hungry militants did.

Photo taken from: https://www.lifeder.com/Tairona-cultura/

HISTORY

Throughout history, Julián Torre Mestra describes in his essay published on the Calameo website that the city founded by the Tairona in the year 800 and inhabited until 1600, now known as Ciudad Perdida, was discovered. Little more is known about their history. This society was organized into political units of various dimensions that exercised control over different territories in the mountain range, from the Caribbean Sea to the summits of Gonavindua (Simon Bolivar Peak) and Aloglue (Christopher Columbus Peak). The population was independent and led by their own chief, with different alliances and enmities among them.

The first contact with Spanish conquistadors occurred in 1498 with the arrival of Fernando González de Oviedo, with whom the local chiefs established commercial relations. In 1525, with the founding of the city of Santa Marta by Rodrigo de Bastidas, the Spanish tried to establish a stronger presence in the area, beginning the Spanish colonial enterprise in this part of the South American continent. Between 1525 and 1599, relations between the indigenous peoples of the area (including not only the Tairona but also the guanebucán, the malibúes, the guajiros, the kosina, and the chimila, among others) and the Spanish settlers were characterized by their instability: intense periods of conflict and war in which attempts were made to dominate the inhabitants were followed by years of tense calm in which the Spanish were forced to establish peaceful relations with the various communities.

During this time, the Tairona burned Santa Marta several times, conquered the Spanish fort of Bon hida, established commercial relations with English and French pirates, and, in general, managed to limit the growth of the Spanish colony. Between 1599 and 1600, the governor of Santa Marta, Juan Guiral Velón, launched an intense military campaign to subjugate these populations. A failed attempt at an alliance between the different settlements provided an opportunity for the governor to capture the chiefs one by one, cutting off their heads and dismembering them. The inhabitants who failed to escape were taken to the outskirts of Santa Marta and handed over to encomenderos. The survivors moved deeper into the mountains to escape the Spanish, and their descendants are the Koguis, who have remained isolated until now.

It is estimated that today, their "pure" descendants number 50,000 people, while those with Tairona blood mixed with other races number several million people, mainly on the Caribbean coast of Colombia (1.5 to 2 million in the Sierra Nevada) (Julián Torres Mestra).

FUN FACTS

The Tairona were skilled builders of stone and slate roads, and also developed engineering practices with the creation of drainage systems, always seeking to take advantage of the opportunities that the geography provided them.

So far, 216 terraces have been discovered, 211 of which are circular, with 4 thought to have been used for storage and 1 being the chapel where the Taironas held their gatherings.

LOCATION

The Taironas took advantage of both the benefits and restrictions imposed by the Sierra Nevada, gradually combining these to ensure their biological reproduction and permanence in the region, as evidenced today by the ruins of numerous villages with stone infrastructure, terraced fields, canals, and bridges.

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, located in northern Colombia, is a mountain range isolated from the Andes system. The varied topography of the Sierra Nevada produces a great diversity of ecological conditions, radically different from those of the adjacent regions, and significantly influences the climatic conditions of a large part of the country's Caribbean region. The Taironas settled between sea level and an altitude of approximately 2,000 meters, mainly in the Santa Marta area near the Bonda River, and along the Ariguaní, Cesar, and Ranchería rivers, as well as in the valleys of the Palomino and Buritaca rivers.

LANGUAGE

The language of Tairona culture was spoken within the indigenous peoples who settled in Colombia in pre-Columbian times; however, it is said that today, their descendants, the Kogis, keep it alive. They have more than 80,000 speakers today and have a relationship with the ancient Tairona languages.

ECONOMY

Like other ancestral tribes or cultures, the Tairona used agriculture as the basis of their economy, with the surplus of agricultural production used for bartering. Their main products included yucca, corn, beans, squash, avocado, soursop, guava, pineapple, among others, cultivated using techniques that took into account the temperature of the soils. They were fortunate that their territories were diverse, ranging from cold to warm climates.

RELIGION

The Tairona believed in gods and worshipped the stars, and they also believed in an afterlife. The naoma or priest was in charge of leading ceremonies where indigenous people could communicate with their deceased loved ones.

The priest was considered a divine person capable of divination, interpreting the instructions of the gods based on bird flights when the indigenous people sought their help.

The most important gods in Tairona culture were Gauteovan and Peico. Gauteovan was the mother of the universe, the mother of all things, and the creator of spirits that caused diseases. Peico was a god who came from the sea to teach the Tairona how to work with weaving, gold, land, and stone, and communicated with the priest.

Lost City and Pueblito

The Lost City or Teyuna, as it is also known, is a place in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and is the greatest architectural and artistic expression of Tairona culture. It is a complex system of interconnected paved roads, stairs, constructions, walls, platforms, and terraces.

It is estimated that around 2,400 indigenous people inhabited the Lost City. It was constructed around 600 AD and was abandoned around 1550. It was only rediscovered in 1976. Teyuna and Pueblito were the two most important cities in Tairona culture.

Pueblito was located near the sea, unlike Teyuna, which is 1,200 meters above sea level. Pueblito had 254 terraces and around 3,000 inhabitants. Both cities had food and utensil deposits, ceremonial centers, and temples.

The characteristics of Tairona culture's architecture and ancient housing can be defined as follows:

The houses had no windows and were circular, located on stone terraces. They were initially made of wood, but due to rains, the design was improved.
They used mud and small stones for the construction of housing, and their roofs were made of mountain palms.
They used lime and water to paint their houses.

In addition to their houses, we find other types of architectural works, such as stone walls, which were built to prevent land erosion, support terraces, orient water channels, and mark paths. Their terraces had different shapes, including ovals, circles, and semicircles, each depending on their location and use, including housing construction.

Cultura tairona La Ciudad Perdida — *Photo taken from:* *https://www.cultura10.org/tairona/*

Social and political organization

In the Sierra Nevada, Tairona culture was divided into several tribes, each organized and independent, but with a governor known as the cacique who exercised executive, ceremonial, and judicial functions.

However, above the cacique in the organizational pyramid was the priest or naoma, who had no authority but was the most respected and influential. Every new moon, the priests were responsible for performing ceremonies and rituals to honor the gods.

Below the caciques were the manicatos or warriors, who were responsible for defending the tribe against possible attacks and ensuring the tribe's peace. Finally, in the pyramid, the people were mainly made up of farmers, merchants, and artisans.

Customs and traditions

Among the Tairona's customs was anthropophagy, or eating human flesh. According to them, this custom allowed them to obtain the skills of the deceased. Sexual connections between different tribes did not pose a problem since they practiced polygamy. Other customs included adorning their clothing with fans, feathers, necklaces, and earrings.

9be5ad6a 326f 44ab 8111 9008c7a797d1 — *Photo taken from:* *https://elpilon.com.co/la-dura-carta-de-los-pueblos-indigenas-de-la-sierra-nevada-a-la-corte-constitucional/*

Cosmovision

The Tairona were beings related to the stars and cosmic distribution, the observation of the celestial vault was an art that explained their origins, defined their being, and ordered life and ceremonies and rituals, these were matters of primary importance because there, in the middle of the effects of plants with psychotropic and hallucinogenic powers, they managed to make their spirituality tangible.

Visiting the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and exploring it is the best way to immerse oneself in the Tairona feeling, a state of mind that, among stone terraces and a lost city nestled between mountains and the Caribbean Sea, transports us to times when time stood still because there were no hurries, only contemplation of a nature gifted by the gods to a privileged people.

Lifestyle

The Tairona lifestyle is characterized by the following features:

The territory occupied by the Tairona culture extended from the lower slopes to the highest lands of the Sierra Nevada of Colombia.
They channeled water from the mountains to their homes, using designs that avoided soil erosion.
The most famous village of the Tairona culture was the Lost City.
Currently, around 184 round houses built on paved stone terraces can be found.
The city was inhabited by more than 2,000 Aboriginals.

Art and Culture

The Tairona developed a pottery industry using clay with the objective of benefiting the community. The presence of ceramic vessels suggests a social organization where the common good was a priority.

In addition to pottery, the Tairona were one of the few cultures in America to engage in apiculture, which was directly linked to their worship and utilization of natural resources. Bees were an integral part of their mission.

Among the artistic expressions of the Tairona, goldsmithing was a prominent activity. The following techniques were used:

*Photo taken from:* *https://wikisivar.com/la-cultura-tairona/*

Lost-wax casting

This technique involved making molds of clay surrounded by wax. Once the wax was melted, the clay mold was heated, and then the liquid gold was poured into the mold left by the wax. Finally, the mold was broken after it cooled to obtain the desired figure.

The tumbaga

This technique involved an alloy of copper and gold that facilitated melting and saved on the amount of material used to create unique pieces.

Quality treatments

To improve the quality of the gold, they used oxidation treatments with copper. The mineral was heated to its maximum and then immediately submerged in ice-cold water, allowing for an unbreakable platinum of gold to be obtained. Finally, the piece went through a process of polishing for perfection.

Tairona culture ceramics

The practice of ceramics in the Tairona culture is quite ancient; according to archaeological studies, the following data is established:

The existing data of Tairona ceramics dates back from 200 BCE to 1650 CE.
For the elaboration of their works, they used clay or mud.
Investigations in Chengue, Parque Tairona show that their ceramics went through 5 phases.
Phase 1 has records from 200 BCE to 500 CE.
Phase 2, from 500 to 900 CE. Both form the Nehuange period.
Phases 3, 4, and 5 were from 900 to 1650, called the Tayrona period.
They developed models of dots and lines known as red ceramics, high-necked jars of iron burbot, called black ceramics.
They were also famous for their jars and cups called "crema".

TAIRONA TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Another activity implemented by the Tairona people was the textile industry, used to make blankets, hats, mochilas, and clothing. The inhabitants of the mountains even practiced bartering with those located on the coast, exchanging not only textile products, but also gold, salt, and fish., See more: https://wikisivar.com/la-cultura-tairona/

CLOTHING

The clothing of the Tairona indigenous groups was accompanied by jewelry, earrings, crowns, gold ornaments, and necklaces; they even adorned their outfits with feathers from guaca-mayas and be zotes. Their clothing consisted of long blankets of various colors, which covered their bodies down to their feet; as they were experts in the art of weaving and textiles, the models were of varied colors and designs. Another interesting detail added to the outfits were palm leaf fans.