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The Mucuchies Phase: An Extension of the Andean Cultural Pattern into Western Venezuela 1
Author(s) -
WAGNER ERIKA
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1973.75.1.02a00130
Subject(s) - tierra , pottery , homogeneous , archaeology , extension (predicate logic) , geography , history , ethnology , biology , physics , computer science , thermodynamics , genetics , programming language
A homogeneous cultural history for the Venezuelan Andes had been postulated using unilateral approaches and neglecting environmental variations within the region. Our archaeological and ethnohistorical data allow us to establish the tierra fría Mucuchíes phase of the Andean pattern. Typical features are the cultivation of cold climate tubers, stone constructions, simple pottery, and burials associated with votive material. This contrasts with the features of the Sub‐Andean pattern established for the tierra templada. The Mucuchíes phase's resemblance to the Chibcha and Tairona material from Colombia reflects in a simplified form the way of life of the protohistoric people of the Andes as a whole.