Territorial settlement patterns in the Yotoco and Sonso phases of the Calima cultures, Colombia

SECCIÓN GENERAL

Abstract

The Calima culture is an archaeologically well known pre-Hispanic society of Colombia, but it lacks studies on the layout of its settlements under the approach of territorial organization. This work proposes a methodology based on three development tools: the theory of sociocultural evolution, iconography and ethnohistory. The cultural context is analyzed on the basis of its geographical location, considering environmental aspects, as well as its chronological development and certain relevant sociocultural characteristics. The territory, as a space transformed by human activity, has its own connotations in pre-Hispanic societies that adapted to their living conditions while adapting to it. In these cultures, the absence of physical vestiges of urban structures is shown as a basic problem in their research. It is in this context where the results of the research on the settlement patterns of the Yotoco and Sonso cultures in the Calima region presented in this paper are inserted.