A Study of the Negative del Carchi Culture and its Ceramics
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Authors
Day, Lindsay
Issue Date
1992
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The culture of Negative del Carchi existed approximately five
hundred years before Christ in what are today the Ecuadorian
provinces of lmbabura, Carchi, Pichincha, and the Colombian territory
of Nariiio. The people that lived during this time period and area
predated the Incas and had a distinct culture of their own. The region
was originally explored by the Spanish and it is from their diaries
that we first learn of the culture and country. The intense research
done by Ecuadorian philanthropist and archaeologist Jacinto Jijon y
Caamano in the early twentieth century uncovered many more clues
and ideas to the customs and lives of the Indians of this culture.
Through an analysis of the ceramics and customs, he viewed the
Negative del Carchi period beginning with those people who lived in
Yaguarcocha (located in what is today Otavalo) and ending with the
establishment of the Spanish dominatiol1 (Jijon-1920, 1 04).
Contemporary archaeologists, such as Ora. Molestina and Carlos
Grijalva have continued Jij6n y Caamano's research in the
organization of the culture. My personal work done on the ceramics
have helped locate the evolution of the culture and give a better idea
of each town's style and use of specific ceramics.
A detailed geographical description i of the culture will put the
research and findings into context. The maps at the end of my thesis
also show the location of the towns that were part of the Negative del
Carchi culture.
The Andes region of Ecuador is an irregular relief pattern of
mountains and valleys interlaced with mar;1y rivers and lakes. The
central and western offshoots of the mountain chain are united by
means of smaller mountains called nudos (knots). Between these
mountains and knots there extends valleys called hoyas. Within each
hoya there is usually a river. There are four distinct temperature
zones found: a subtropical temperate zone, a subandino temperate
zone, an andino zone, and a cold glacial zone. The hoyas found in the
Sierran region that are included in the Negative del Carchi culture are
Guayllabamba, Chota, and Carchi, each of which has its own
characteristics and climate where diverse products are grown. Thus,
although these people shared similar material culture such as
ceramics, habitations, and funerary customs, there were also many
differences between them. Within each hoya there were many sites
of habitation, each having their own history and growth.
Description
iv, 88 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College.
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.