TUNCAHUAN CULTURE: GEOGRAPHY, CHRONOLOGY AND WAY OF LIFE - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

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 Nariño in Colombia. This civilization corresponded to the so-called period of regional development in which the differences between peoples were translated into a social and political organization of the peoples.

Ecuador's pre-Columbian history 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 peoples that may have lived in this area.

Photo recovered from Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino.

During the pre-Inca period, the cultures of the area lived in clans that formed large tribes. These even came to be associated to form confederations of great power as 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 limits between which this culture could fit include the current border with Colombia to the north, to the east with the Ñapo province, to the west with the Esmeraldas province and to the south with the Chota valley.

The region in which the Tuncahuán culture developed is characterized by undulating terrain and deep valleys marked by the fluvial systems of the Chimbo and Chambo rivers.

They are generally described as areas of moorland covered by grass and agricultural areas on 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 masl (meters above sea level). Mild weather.
• Sub-Andean floor: Between 2000 and 3300 masl Temperate-cold climate.
• Andean floor: Between 3300 and 4600 meters above sea level Cold climate.
• Glacial floor: 4600 masl or more. Perpetual snow.

Chronology

This culture is believed to have developed between 500 BC and 800 AD, an estimate based exclusively on general dating based on the interpretation of the evolution of observed artistic performances.

Economy

The Tuncahuán culture was an agricultural community that was based on the cultivation of typical products of the region such as different varieties of corn and tubers. There is also evidence of the practice of planting in ridges, in sites that are associated with tolas.

Part of the fauna present in this area, such as guinea pigs or deer, also served as a complementary source of food.

It is believed that the Tuncahuán communities maintained links with other cultures in the coastal region of Ecuador and with what is today the border region with Colombia.

The commercial exchange between towns through barter was manifested as the main form of economy. According to the discovery of annular-based bowls, it is known that they traded with the Cerro Narío peoples.

Art

The ceramics created by the Tuncahuán culture is one of the most representative aspects of their art. Among the objects that have come to be found stand out standing pots with an almost hemispherical deep bowl, basins and vessels in the shape of human faces probably used in funeral rites.

The decoration patterns used are characterized by white dots, accompanied by spirals and crosses that stand out against a reddish background. One of the most used resources is that of negative paint that is combined with a negative red paint.

Although the relationships that the Tuncahuán culture had with others in the region have not been thoroughly established, if patterns are denoted in the style of ceramics and the decoration used that could establish ties with each other.

living place

Although it is not known for sure, archaeological finds have been carried out in Colombia near the Tuncahuán area that give indications of the type and form of houses used by this people.

The basic typology is of circular huts with adobe-based foundations, bareque walls 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 from the surface. Along with the body, many ceramic pieces and copper and stone utensils were buried as an offering.

Archaeological investigations

There is very little archaeological research in this area of ​​Ecuador. Therefore, there is still much that could be learned from its prehistory.

The first person to describe the 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 detailing the belonging of this culture to an axis of development corresponding to various cultures that were found north of the Sierra in Ecuador. The other two axes were made up of the southern part of the sierra and the coastal region.

In 1990 the researcher Luis Guillermo Lumbreras considered the Consaga-Píllaro phase as coexisting with the Tuncahuán culture. However, this assertion lacks actual dating to support it and more research is needed on this alleged coexistence.

Several archaeological stations have been identified in the area to date both in Ecuadorian and Colombian territory. It is believed that many of the phases that have been identified by 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

1. All Ecuador and More. History of Ecuador. 2009. Recovered from alleximorandmore.com.
2. Quito, Jorge Luna Yepes. Regional Development or the age of the gods. 1992. Recovered from ecuador-ancestral.com.
3. Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. TUNCAHUÁN. Recovered from precolombino.cl.
4. Museum of Archeology and Ethnology Simon Faser University. Outstanding Artifacts: Ceramics from the Tuncahuán phase. Recovered from sfu.museum.