Timoto–Cuica people: Difference between revisions
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'''Timoto–Cuica people''' were an [[ |
'''Timoto–Cuica people''' were an [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous people of the Americas]] composed primarily of two large tribes, the '''Timote''' and the '''Cuica''', that inhabited in the [[Andes]] region of Western [[Venezuela]].<ref name=mahoney>Mahoney 89</ref> They were closely related to the [[Muisca people]] of the [[Colombia]]n Andes, who spoke Muysccubun, a version of [[Chibcha language|Chibcha]]. The Timoto-Cuicas were not only composed of the Timote and the Cuica groups, but also of smaller tribes including the Mucuchíes, the Miguríes, the Tabayes and the Mucuñuques. |
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== Culture and society == |
== Culture and society == |
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[[File:Timote-Cuica languages.png|thumb|175px|left| |
[[File:Timote-Cuica languages.png|thumb|175px|left|Timoto and Cuica toponyms]] |
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[[File:Campo de Mérida.JPG|thumb|left|Timoto-Cuica territory, in present-day [[Mérida |
[[File:Campo de Mérida.JPG|thumb|left|Timoto-Cuica territory, in present-day [[Mérida (state)|Mérida]], Venezuela.]] |
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[[Pre-Columbian]] Venezuela had an estimated indigenous population of one million,<ref name=mahoney/> with the Andean region being the most densely populated area. The two groups lived in what are today the states of [[Mérida |
[[Pre-Columbian era|Pre-Columbian]] Venezuela had an estimated indigenous population of one million,<ref name=mahoney/> with the Andean region being the most densely populated area. The two groups lived in what are today the states of [[Mérida (state)|Mérida]], [[Trujillo (state)|Trujillo]] and [[Táchira]]. Most scholars agree that the Timoto-Cuicas arose as a distinct tribal group, with the Timotes and the Cuicas as the main components of largely the same identity. They possessed advanced technology and thrived as a civilization much more developed than the nomadic tribes further east. The Timotes were mostly present in the area of today’s Mérida state in Venezuela, the mountainous Andean region, with the sub-group of Cuicas living slightly to the north, in the llano plains. |
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The chief characteristic of the Timoto-Cuicas culture was their focus on agriculture, primitive industry |
The chief characteristic of the Timoto-Cuicas culture was their focus on agriculture, primitive industry and trade. They focused heavily on the terraced cultivation system, by creating irrigated platforms on the hillsides of the region – a system often seen in the Andean civilizations. Society was complex with pre-planned permanent villages, surrounded by irrigated, terraced fields. They also stored water in tanks.<ref name=mahoney/> Their houses were made primarily of stone and wood with thatched roofs. They were peaceful, for the most part and depended on growing crops. Regional crops included potatoes and [[ullucus|ullucos]].<ref name=art>[http://en.amigosprecolombino.es/cultures/central-america-and-intermedia/venezuela Venezuela] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904200841/http://en.amigosprecolombino.es/cultures/central-america-and-intermedia/venezuela|date=2011-09-04}} ''Friends of the Pre-Columbian Art Museum''. (retrieved 9 July 2011)</ref> |
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By creating large ‘steps’, reinforcing them with stone |
By creating large ‘steps’, reinforcing them with stone and irrigating them with a system of channels, they managed to succeed in creating an efficient agricultural system. This skillful method of cultivation allowed the Timoto-Cuicas to grow an abundance of vegetables – the earliest sources mention the growing of potatoes and corn, as well as beans, sweet yucca and several indigenous plants: cassava, mecuy, quiba, guaba and agave. |
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They left behind works of art, particularly anthropomorphic ceramics, but no major monuments. They spun vegetable fibers to weave into textiles and mats for housing. They are credited with having invented the [[arepa]], a staple in [[Venezuelan cuisine|Venezuelan]] and [[Colombian cuisine]]. |
They left behind works of art, particularly anthropomorphic ceramics, but no major monuments. They spun vegetable fibers to weave into textiles and mats for housing. They are credited with having invented the [[arepa]], a staple in [[Venezuelan cuisine|Venezuelan]] and [[Colombian cuisine]]. |
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<gallery> |
<gallery> |
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Placa de los Nikitaos y carámica de los Kuikas.jpg|Plaque and ceramics of the Nikitao and Cuica tribes |
Placa de los Nikitaos y carámica de los Kuikas.jpg|Plaque and ceramics of the Nikitao and Cuica tribes |
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Momia de los Isnumbíes.jpg| |
Momia de los Isnumbíes.jpg|Mummy from the Isnumbí people, Diocesan Museum of Mérida |
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Habitación de los indios.jpg|Room of the natives of [[Apartaderos]] |
Habitación de los indios.jpg|Room of the natives of [[Apartaderos]] |
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Indios Mucuchíes.jpg| |
Indios Mucuchíes.jpg|Mucuchí people, who were part of the Timoto tribe |
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Indias Mucuchíes.jpg| |
Indias Mucuchíes.jpg|Mucuchí women |
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Mucuchíes de Misteke.jpg|[[Mucuchíes|Mucuchí |
Mucuchíes de Misteke.jpg|[[Mucuchíes|Mucuchí people]] from Misteke, Venezuela |
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</gallery> |
</gallery> |
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== Bibliography == |
== Bibliography == |
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* Mahoney, James. [https://books.google.com/books?id=p1_m-Y-5FJEC&pg=PA89&dq=Timoto&hl=en&ei=TvMYTuOOF-fZiAKoirnRBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Timoto&f=false "Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish American in Comparative Perspective. |
* Mahoney, James. [https://books.google.com/books?id=p1_m-Y-5FJEC&pg=PA89&dq=Timoto&hl=en&ei=TvMYTuOOF-fZiAKoirnRBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Timoto&f=false "Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish American in Comparative Perspective."] New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-521-11634-3}}. |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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{{Commons category|Timoto-Cuicas}} |
{{Commons category|Timoto-Cuicas}} |
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* {{in lang|es}} [http://html.rincondelvago.com/cultura-indigena-en-venezuela.html Indigenous Culture in Venezuela] |
* {{in lang|es}} [http://html.rincondelvago.com/cultura-indigena-en-venezuela.html Indigenous Culture in Venezuela] |
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* {{in lang|es}} |
* {{in lang|es}} [http://www.saber.ula.ve/bitstream/123456789/18495/1/articulo3.pdf De los timoto-cuicas a la invisibilidad del indigena andino y a su diversidad cultural] |
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* {{in lang|es}} |
* {{in lang|es}} [http://www.italcambio.com/bille_mone/html2/caciques/historiaCaciques.htm Caciques de Venezuela)] |
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* [http://www.austria.gob.ve/content.php?contecual=32&contepert=1&lan=en |
* [http://www.austria.gob.ve/content.php?contecual=32&contepert=1&lan=en Get to know Venezuela] |
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{{Ethnic groups in Venezuela}} |
{{Ethnic groups in Venezuela}} |
Revision as of 08:02, 30 June 2021
Total population | |
---|---|
Extinct | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Venezuelan Andes: Venezuela (Mérida, Trujillo, Táchira) | Extinct |
Languages | |
Timote-Cuica | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Muisca |
Timoto–Cuica people were an indigenous people of the Americas composed primarily of two large tribes, the Timote and the Cuica, that inhabited in the Andes region of Western Venezuela.[1] They were closely related to the Muisca people of the Colombian Andes, who spoke Muysccubun, a version of Chibcha. The Timoto-Cuicas were not only composed of the Timote and the Cuica groups, but also of smaller tribes including the Mucuchíes, the Miguríes, the Tabayes and the Mucuñuques.
Culture and society
Pre-Columbian Venezuela had an estimated indigenous population of one million,[1] with the Andean region being the most densely populated area. The two groups lived in what are today the states of Mérida, Trujillo and Táchira. Most scholars agree that the Timoto-Cuicas arose as a distinct tribal group, with the Timotes and the Cuicas as the main components of largely the same identity. They possessed advanced technology and thrived as a civilization much more developed than the nomadic tribes further east. The Timotes were mostly present in the area of today’s Mérida state in Venezuela, the mountainous Andean region, with the sub-group of Cuicas living slightly to the north, in the llano plains.
The chief characteristic of the Timoto-Cuicas culture was their focus on agriculture, primitive industry and trade. They focused heavily on the terraced cultivation system, by creating irrigated platforms on the hillsides of the region – a system often seen in the Andean civilizations. Society was complex with pre-planned permanent villages, surrounded by irrigated, terraced fields. They also stored water in tanks.[1] Their houses were made primarily of stone and wood with thatched roofs. They were peaceful, for the most part and depended on growing crops. Regional crops included potatoes and ullucos.[2]
By creating large ‘steps’, reinforcing them with stone and irrigating them with a system of channels, they managed to succeed in creating an efficient agricultural system. This skillful method of cultivation allowed the Timoto-Cuicas to grow an abundance of vegetables – the earliest sources mention the growing of potatoes and corn, as well as beans, sweet yucca and several indigenous plants: cassava, mecuy, quiba, guaba and agave.
They left behind works of art, particularly anthropomorphic ceramics, but no major monuments. They spun vegetable fibers to weave into textiles and mats for housing. They are credited with having invented the arepa, a staple in Venezuelan and Colombian cuisine.
Gallery
-
Plaque and ceramics of the Nikitao and Cuica tribes
-
Mummy from the Isnumbí people, Diocesan Museum of Mérida
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Room of the natives of Apartaderos
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Mucuchí people, who were part of the Timoto tribe
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Mucuchí women
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Mucuchí people from Misteke, Venezuela
References
Bibliography
- Mahoney, James. "Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish American in Comparative Perspective." New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-521-11634-3.
External links
- (in Spanish) Indigenous Culture in Venezuela
- (in Spanish) De los timoto-cuicas a la invisibilidad del indigena andino y a su diversidad cultural
- (in Spanish) Caciques de Venezuela)
- Get to know Venezuela