The Tuncahuán culture Is an indigenous culture that flourished in the city of Riobamba (Ecuador) in the provinces of the"inter-Andean alley."
These regions are Azuay, Cañar and Carchi and the department of Narino in Colombia. This civilization corresponded to the so-called period of regional development in which differences between peoples translated into a social and political organization of peoples.
Photo recovered from Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.
The pre-Columbian history of Ecuador includes many indigenous cultures that flourished for thousands of years before the rise of the Inca Empire.
Archaeological evidence has established that this territory was occupied for more than 4500 years before the Incas. There are many geographical limitations that have not allowed an in-depth study of the people who may have lived in this area.
During the period prior to the Incas, the cultures of the area lived in clans that formed great tribes. These even came to associate to form confederations of great power as it was the case of the Confederation of Quito.
However, nothing could stop the violent colonization by the Incas who managed to develop an extensive administration with the conquest of many points in the region.
You can also see The 3 most important Mesoamerican cultures Or see more details about another indigenous civilization, such as the Taironas .
Geography of the Tuncahuán culture
The boundaries between which this culture could fit include the current border with Colombia, to the east with the province of Napo, to the west with the province of Esmeraldas and to the south with the Chota valley.
The region in which the Tuncahuán culture was developed is characterized by undulating terrain and deep valleys marked by the fluvial systems of the Chimbo and Chambo rivers.
In general they are described as areas of grass covered páramos and agricultural zones in the humid slopes of the mountains. The annual temperature ranges from 12 to 15 ° C with alternating rainy and dry seasons.
The ecological regions through which the Tulcahuán culture moved include:
- Subtropical floor : Between 1500 and 2000 m.s.n.m (meters above sea level). Mild weather.
- Subandino floor : Between 2000 and 3300 m.s.n.m. Temperate-cold climate.
- Andean flat : Between 3300 and 4600 m.s.n.m. Cold weather.
- Glacial floor : 4600 m.s.n.m. or more. Perpetual snow.
Chronology
It is believed that this culture developed between 500 A.d.C. And 800 D.C, an estimate based exclusively on general dating based on the interpretation of the evolution of artistic performances observed.
Economy
The Tuncahuán culture was an agricultural community that was based on the culture of typical products of the region like different varieties of maize and tubers. There is also evidence of the practice of sowing on ridges, on sites associated with fools.
Some of the fauna present in this area, such as cuy or deer, also served as a complementary source of food.
The communities of Tuncahuán are believed to have links with other cultures in the coastal region of Ecuador and with what is today the border region with Colombia.
Trade among peoples through barter manifested itself as the main form of economy. According to the finding of ring-shaped bowls, it is known that they traded with the towns of Cerro Narío.
Art
The pottery created by the Tuncahuán culture is one of the most representative aspects of his art. Among the objects that have been found are standing compoteras with a nearly hemispherical deep bowl, basins and vessels with the shape of human faces probably used in funeral rites.
The patterns of decoration used are characterized by white dots, accompanied by spirals and crosses that stand out on a reddish background. One of the most used resources is that of negative paint that is combined with a negative paint of red color.
Although the relations maintained by the Tuncahuán culture with others of the region have not been established in depth, if there are denoted patterns in the style of the ceramics and the used decoration that could establish bonds with each other.
living place
Although not known for sure, there have been archaeological finds in Colombia near the area of Tuncahuán that give indications of the type and form of houses used by this town.
The basic typology is of circular huts with foundation with adobe, walls of bareque and reed roofs. Each unit had a single entrance and there were no windows in the building.
Worship
The dead in the Tunchahuán Culture were buried in unique graves that were located between 1.2 and 2.5 meters deep of the surface. Along with the body were buried as an offering many ceramic pieces and utensils of copper and stone.
Archaeological investigations
There is very little investigation at the archaeological level in this area of Ecuador. Therefore, there is still much that could be learned from its prehistory.
The first person who came to describe Tuncahuán culture was the Ecuadorian archaeologist Jacinto Jijón y Caamaño who discovered in 1919 what is now known as the Archaeological Station of Tuncahuán.
In 1952, this researcher presented a detailed examination that details the membership of this culture to a development axis corresponding to several cultures that were north of the Sierra in Ecuador. The other two axes were composed by the southern zone of the mountain range and the coastal region.
In 1990 the researcher Luis Guillermo Lumbreras considers the Consaga-Píllaro phase as coexisting with the Tuncahuán culture. However, this assertion lacks actual data to support it and more research is needed on this alleged coexistence.
Several archaeological stations have been identified in the area until today in both Ecuadorian and Colombian territory. It is believed that many of the phases that have been identified with different names could actually be grouped into one.
Other names under which they have been baptized are"El Oro"by Carlos Emilio Grijalva in 1937,"Capulí"by Alicia de Francisco in 1969 and"El Ángel"by Pedro Porras in 1976 (2).
References
- All Ecuador and More. History of Ecuador. [Online] 2009. [Quoted: March 16, 2017.] Retrieved from allecuadorandmore.com.
- Quito, Jorge Luna Yepes. Regional Development or the age of the gods. [Online] 1992. [Quoted: March 16, 2017.] Retrieved from ecuador-ancestral.com.
- Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. TUNCAHUÁN. [Online] [Cited: March 16, 2017.] Retrieved from precolombino.cl.
- Museum of Archeology and Ethnology Simon Fraser University. Artifacts Highlights: Ceramics of the Tuncahuán phase. [Online] [Quoted: March 16, 2017.] Retrieved from sfu.museum.