Colombia: Archaeological Adventure

JANUARY 2019

On day three of our stay in Popayan the adventure really started. Early morning our driver and guide, Tony, picked us up from the apartment to start the journey to our next destination, the tiny village of San Andres de Pisimbala. From the relative urban environment of Popayan, it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in the much more remote central Andean mountains.

Andean mountain Flora

Paved roads gave away to dirt and mud tracks as we negotiated our way over one mountain pass after another. Having a 4x4 and an experienced driver seemed a vital ingredient for this type of travel. This was born out by the number of other motorist we passed, struggling with the road conditions.

Mud road from Popayan to Terriadentro

Motorcycle wet weather gear Colombia style

Slippery conditions on the road to Tierriadentro

The journey took us through ever changing scenery as we gained and lost altitude. It seemed the view round every corner exceeded the one before, until we reached the small town of Inza where we took a short break. From there it wasn’t far to our final destination of San Andres de Pisimbala, and the end of our 6hour journey.

Santa on the road in Inza

The village of San Andres de Pisimbala is within a region governed by the indigenous Nasa community (also known as Paez); see “Personal Observations & Interesting Facts” below. The village sits at about 1500m above sea level and is surrounded by mountainous slopes that peak at around 2000m. Most of the land is cultivated, even though at times the gradient makes it look almost impossible. Crops are varied, but the most popular are coffee and plantain. The scenery was beautiful, but that wasn’t the reason for our visit, we were here to visit the underground tombs of Parque Arqueológico Nacional de Tierradentro.

San Andres de Pisimbala

Signs in 3 languages at San Andres de Pisimbala

Our accommodation in San Andres, Hostel la Portada, was basic, comfortable, very clean and almost completely made of local bamboo. It also had its own restaurant across the street, also made from local bamboo, serving wholesome food and run by the loveliest lady you ever wish to meet.

Restaurant La Portada at San Andres de Pisimbala and our transport 4x4

Hospedaje La Portada

Our accommodation La Portada Hospedaje in San Andres de Pisimbala

Humming bird feeding

Humming bird at rest

We had two nights in San Andres and planned to do our exploration of the archaeological sites in two stages. Stage one; on the afternoon of our arrival, we would cover the three more accessible sites, and the following day the two more remote. All of the sites are in the Parque Arqueológico Nacional de Tierradentro, which also has UNESCO World Heritage status. The management of the sites is a joint function between the park authorities and Nasa council (being that they are on indigenous community land).
The first three sites were on the eastern mountain slopes and connected by a steep, but well maintained, path. But before we started our visit we called into the museum to top up our understanding of what we were about to see.
The area had been inhabited by hunter-gatherers that then turned to subsistence farming, for thousands of years. But from the period of 600 to 900AD those people started to build elaborate tombs for their chieftains. These tombs, known as Hypogea, are cut into the mountainside and can be up to 7m deep and 12m wide. It is believed that these people abandoned the area in the 13th century (around the time when the Nasa people started to arrive), and it wasn’t until the 19th and 20th centuries that the tombs were discovered.
So as the rain started to fall we began our trudge up the mountainside to the first set of tombs, known as “Alto de Segovia”. Here around 25 tombs are accessible to the public, and closely monitored by a national park guard. The guard will open the access hatch for each tomb and you are able to descend some steep steps down into the chamber. Once you are in, LED lights are switched on to illuminate the chamber (or with your own torch if lighting hasn’t been fitted). It is then that you are witness to an amazing sight, even after 1500 years you can still see the human like carvings on the pillars and fine painting that decorates the walls. Once you climb back out of the tomb, the lights are switched off and the hatch locked to safeguard the site. After descending and ascending seven tombs we decide we should save our energy to get to the next site and the tombs there.

Segovia sites, over 25 underground tombs which are protected from the elements

Illuminated tomb

Looking back up the stairs from the bottom of the tomb

One of the most well preserved underground tomb at Segovia site

Descending into the tomb at Segovia (more like climbing down and up)

Access to an underground tomb on Segovia Site

Segovia site, underground tomb, you can see the face on the pillars.

Bamboo bridge access to the archaeological site

View over the Andes

From the museum we had climbed about 150 vertical meters to Segovia, we now had another 100 vertical meters to reach the second site of “Alto del Duende”. Alto del Duende is a smaller site with fewer accessible tombs, but no less impressive. With all this mountain hiking and previous tomb exploration, we only had energy to see one tomb at this site, so we asked the guard which one he would recommend, and we settled for that.

Looking back over the Segovia Archaeological site

Farmer's house on our way to the second archaeological site

Underground tomb unlit (had to have flashlight) at El Duende, the second site

Mountain side agriculture

Bamboo is a vital resource in the rural community

It was then upwards once again, until we reached the Santa Rosa road, where we turned downhill back towards San Andres de Pisimbala, and our last site for the day, El Tablon. By now time was getting on, so when we reached the site it was closed. However, this didn’t mater as the site contained above ground statues, which we could see from the fenced boundary.
[Photo’s – Statues & surrounding at El Tablon]
Finally it was on down the road to our accommodation and a very welcomed shower and rest. However, not before we had looked in on the local church. Rebuilt after a recent fire, it stood pristine with its white adobe walls and thatched roof.

Church at San Andres de Pisimbala

The following day was stage two, just two sites, but a much more challenging adventure altogether. To achieve our goal today we had six hours of strenuous hiking ahead of us. The hike started after breakfast and next to the restaurant. We first descended down to a river and crossed a bamboo bridge.

Bridge at the start of our second day hike

It was then up hill to our first site of the day. “Alto de San Andres” which sits half way up the first mountainside to the west of the village, and we reached there in about 30 minutes from starting out. Here we needed our own torches to explore the tombs and see the chambers, but the rewards were equal to those of yesterday.

Underground tomb at Alto de San Andres

Details of a pillar in an underground tomb at Alto de San Andres

Wild Bamboo plantation

Lost Valley found on our way to El Aguacate

From “Alto de San Andres” the adventure really began. We first climbed to the ridge of the first mountain range then descended into the valley below. The scenery was amazing, and the hills were covered in a variety of cultivated crops, coffee and plantain being the most popular. We noticed that most coffee plantations had plantain trees dispersed amongst them, this we later found out provided shelter from the sun for the coffee plant and a protection from some coffee pests.

Andean scenery

Farming on the mountain side, coffee and Banana

Local transport from one valley to another

This was very remote countryside, there were no roads in or out, the only means of transport was either on foot or horseback, and the valley seemed to be surrounded by mountains on all sides. We almost felt that no foreigner had been here before us, which of course wasn’t true but it added to the excitement. We now had an even bigger mountain slope to climb, to get out of the valley and to the last archaeological site. The task looked daunting and we spent a few moments assessing how tired we were and whether we could make it to the ridge. But even accepting how aching our limbs were, we had come this far so we weren’t about to turn back. In the end it was all worth it, as we reached the second ridge and looked back with elation at we had achieved. It was then a relatively easy walk along the ridge to our last site, El Aguacate, perched 2000m above the surrounding countryside. I can’t deny we were pretty exhausted by this time, but found the energy to explore a couple more tombs, before starting the painful (our legs and knees were shot be this time) decent down to the road back to San Andres de Pisimbala.

Tombs of El Aguacate

El Aguacate tomb

Multiple underground tomb at El Aguacate

Still going down from El Aguacate

Starting our descent from El Aguacate

At the mountain bottom we needed a rest, so we called in to a local bar for a beer or two, before walking back up the road to our accommodation.

Fortunately the following day was mostly a car ride, so the legs would have a bit of time to recover. Tony met us at 09:20 and we started the road trip to our next location of San Agustin. The drive took most of the day as we circumnavigated mountain roads, passing by spectacular scenery, before arriving at our final destination around 16:00. But the day wasn’t all about a car ride; Tony kept us entertained with stories about life in Colombia and selected three interesting little towns to visit on route. We stopped for a short break at the central plazas of La Plata, Pital and Timana.
Each of the towns had their own character and charm, and it really gave us an insight to rural Colombia.
In La Plata we mingled with the locals and drank at a mobile coffee kiosk. It was so nice to have a really good Colombian coffee and not to have to choose between about 100 options as you do in Starbuck and similar establishments. Anne had a hot coca drink, the same leaves that are used to make cocaine, but in this instance just a refreshing and stimulating hot drink.

Mobile Coffee shop

Coca Tea

Sugar cane juice machine

Busy High Street in Andean town

Cocoa Pods

Road scenery

Pital was pretty but quiet compared to La Plata, but it did provide us with the opportunity to have a good look at a “Chiva”, a common form of local transport (see “Personal Observations & Interesting Facts” below).
Then we arrived at Timana, a town with a good story to tell. It is said that when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century they demanded a gift from each of Timana’s residents. However, one household refused to provide one, so the Spanish executed the son of the family. Enraged by this the mother kidnapped the Spanish leader and cut off his head. Today in Timana’s central plaza there is a statue to commemorate this heroic act.

la Gatana who avenged her son death by decapitating the Spanish leader

As we arrived into San Agustin, it was like entering a theme park. However, this was not the usual look of the town, but its attempt to break a world record. For the Christmas period, the town wanted to create the world’s biggest nativity display. To achieve this, their display was one that you walked through, as opposed to just looked upon. Houses had been painted and decorated with biblical scenes, the police station had Roman Centurions mounted all around it and the public places had life size figures of Mary, Joeseph, the Wise Men and all the other nativity crew. It was a bold attempt, but by the time we arrived in town it all looked a bit tired. We probably would have been more impressed to see it lit up at night.

Police station nativity decoration

Nativity scene in San Agustin

Our accommodation in San Agustin was just outside of town and close to the archaeological park we had come to visit. It was very comfortable and in a beautiful setting. Therefore, as Anne had been suffering from a bad cough and loss of voice for a couple of days (caught from Malc, who had suffered with it in the week before), we decided to take it easy and have restful first day, leaving the exploring for day two. However, we did briefly venture into town for some medication for Anne. In fact the pharmacy was very professional, administered an injection to relax the nerves aggravating the cough and proscribed some cough mixture and lozenges to sooth the cough going forward. All of this for only £10.00.

Hotel Huaka - Yo our accommodation in San Agustin

With Anne feeling better, our second day in San Agustin was dedicated to exploring the “Parque Arqueologico Nacional San Agustin e Isnos”.
Like Tierradentro, this is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and contains the largest group of monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America. The structures stand in a wild and spectacular landscape, protected by the Colombian park authorities, but displayed in a fashion that all can enjoy their magnificence. The site is covered in hundreds of tombs, some up to 30m in diameter, and once contained the remains of the societies elite. Each tomb is guarded by rock statues, skilfully carved in the shape of gods or mythical animals, some weighing several tonnes and standing up to 4m high. These works of art display the creativity and imagination of a northern Andean culture that flourished from the 1st to the 9th century. Although this creative period started in the first century AD, the chiefdom society had been in the region from around 1000BC. It is believed that this society remained in the area until around 1350AD, and then left for reasons unknown. What can be seen today is the result of archaeological work carried out in the 19th and 20th century, all that is missing is gold burial finery that has either been looted or moved to various Colombian museums.
Although the area around San Agustin contains lots of archaeological sites the one we chose to visit had the biggest collection and the best-preserved structures. Unlike Tierradentro, the access to the various tombs was relatively flat and good under foot, so we were able to explore the entire site in an enjoyable 4-hour visit. What we saw was quite mind-blowing, for which the photos will do greater justice than any explanation of mine. People make comparisons of the San Agustin statues to those on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and you can see why. But for us, they are very different, but equally as impressive.

Zoomorphic statue of a Jaguar (not a Vampire)

Open tomb

Eagle with Snake statue

Ornemental Statues

Tomb entrance

Stone coffin in San Agustin Archaeological Park

Statues

San Agustin Archaeological Park

Caiman Statue which covering a tomb, but there is no Caiman in the Andes. How did they know about it?

The following day we left San Agustin and made our way back to Popayan. The original plan had been to visit some outlying archaeological sites on our way back, but as Anne’s health had got worse and consequently neither of us was sleeping well, we decided not to stop. The four-hour drive back was another spectacular one, as we crossed mountain ranges, drove through a national park and negotiated a variety of road conditions from flat concrete to muddy, slippery and potholed tracks. And as with each of the drives on this trip, the scenery was amazing.
It had been an amazing few days, and one we shall never forget.

Main road from San Agustin to Popayan a bit narrow sometimes

Main road between San Agustin and Popayan

Magdalena River

Andean scenery

Back in Popayan, Tony located a doctor for us, so Anne could get that cough sorted out. It turned out to be a throat infection and a variety of medication was prescribed to get her fit again.

We had one more day in Popayan before moving on. The original plan was to visit a local market up in the hills, but as Anne now had a second appointment with the doctor and had been ordered to rest, we decided to relax instead.

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Nasa Indigenous Community
Long before the Spanish arrived in the Cauca region in 1537, the Nasa people (also known as Paez) had lived in the area in harmony with their environment. But since then, and up until more recent times, they have suffered at the hands of their intruders. The Spanish killed many through forced labour and other forms of brutality, and in more recent times they have been caught up in the conflict between government military and paramilitary groups such as FARC. Add to this, their land is ideal for growing Coca and Poppy, which meant a further intrusion from drug groups for the production of cocaine and heroin respectively. All of this has meant that the Cauca department and much of the Nasa lands have been one of the most violent regions of Colombia.
Fortunately things have slowly begun to improve. Firstly in 1970 when the Regional Indigenous Council was formed (CRIC) and secondly in 1980 when a local priest initiated the Nasa Project. Today, the 186,000 people who identify themselves as Nasa have a much-improved life. They have recovered 140,000 hectares of ancestral land, which they now cultivated as they see fit. They produce corn, beans, potato, blackberry, coffee, plantain, cassava, etc. on the steep alpine slopes that make up most of their land. They have overcome the environmental, social and economic damaged caused by the chemical spraying of their land by the government (to destroy coca and poppy plantation believed to be in the area, without consideration for the affect it would have on other crops and the environment). The provision of education has improved significantly, they work closely with national park authorities as a number of parks encompass their land, and they have welcomed tourism as another income generator. They also manage their own affairs within their land, including law and order, where only serious crimes (Rape, Murder, etc.) are handed over to the national police. It is also interesting to note that 70% of all of Colombia’s fresh water has its source in the Andean mountains around Nasa land. Four main rivers start their life here; the Magdalena (Colombia’s longest) flows north to the Caribbean Sea, as does the Cauca, whilst the Caquetá and Putumayo flow south into the Amazon Basin.

Chiva and other forms of rural transport
Probably the most noticeable form of rural transport, especially in the mountainous regions, is the Chiva. The Chiva (Spanish for goat), or sometimes known as the Escalera (Spanish for ladder or stairs), is a bus. The buses are varied and characterised by being painted colourfully (usually with the yellow, blue, and red colours, matching the flags of Colombia), and adorned with motifs. Most have a ladder to the rack on the roof, which is used for carrying people, livestock and merchandise. They are built upon a bus chassis with a modified body made out either metal or wood. Seats are bench-like, made out of wood, and there are no doors or windows. The owner (often a village co-operative) or driver usually gives the vehicle a unique nickname.

Chiva front end

Chiva back end

Chiva

In addition to the Chiva, motorcycles are the other main form of transport (replacing the horse in many regions). Whole families and a huge variety of goods can be seen being transported by motorcycle.

Room for one more?

Less common, but equally versatile is the Jeep. Rugged enough to cope with Colombia’s rural roads, and adaptable enough to meet the varied needs of a family. Once again, usually painted in bright colours and adorned with motifs.

Jeep

Jeep front end

Popayan Airport
The town of Popayan has a small but fairly modern airport, and only about a 10-minute drive from the old town. However, what makes it unusual is what goes on around its terminal car park. Car parking is shared with cows grazing, some common land agreement no doubt, that keeps the grass cut and fertilized.

Popayan Airport