Publications
Fragmentos de San Agustín y Tierradentro: los parques de los senderos que se bifurcan
Archaeological research at San Agustín and Tierradentro reveals their pivotal role in Colombia's social complexity, with Tierradentro receiving less attention despite its significance. This study highlights how these sites have shaped archaeological investigation, heritage protection, dissemination, and economic exploitation within the patrimonial economy. It provides a contextual analysis of the actors, societal dynamics, and the impact of conflict on these UNESCO World Heritage Sites, offering a foundational approach to understanding their historical and cultural importance.
Más allá del parque arqueológico: un estado del arte de la investigación arqueológica en la región de Tierradentro, Cauca
Archaeological research in the Tierradentro region, Cauca, has been predominantly focused on the San Andrés creek basin, leaving significant gaps in knowledge about other areas such as the upper Páez River basin. This review highlights the need for expanded investigations to better understand the region's archaeological landscape, integrate Nasal perspectives on territory and material culture, and analyze post-16th-century social transformations and interactions. The study emphasizes the importance of broadening research beyond the established archaeological park to encompass a more comprehensive understanding of Tierradentro's historical significance.
Treinta años de la inscripción como Patrimonio Mundial de los parques arqueológicos de San Agustín (Huila) y Tierradentro (Cauca)
Thirty years after their inscription as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the archaeological parks of San Agustín (Huila) and Tierradentro (Cauca) stand as a testament to Colombia's rich cultural heritage. This milestone underscores their unique significance, serving as exceptional witnesses to both living and vanished civilizations. The study reflects on the diverse perspectives of stakeholders—including local communities, tour operators, archaeologists, and government agencies—highlighting the multifaceted importance of this recognition. While the article does not present new discoveries, it emphasizes the enduring value of these sites in preserving and celebrating Colombia's archaeological legacy.
Avifauna asociada a dos sistemas de producción de café en Tierradentro, San Andrés de Pisimbalá, Cauca, Colombia
Shaded coffee plantations exhibit significantly higher bird diversity compared to more intensively managed systems, likely due to greater vegetational heterogeneity. This study, conducted in the UNESCO-listed National Archeological Park of Tierradentro (Colombia), identified 80 bird species across four coffee farms, with Thraupidae, Tyrannidae, and Trochilidae being the most prevalent. The findings underscore the ecological benefits of less intensive, structurally diverse coffee production for avian biodiversity, providing critical baseline data to support sustainable ecotourism in this culturally and ecologically significant region.
Sobre la edad de los hipogeos de Tierradentro, Colombia: intento de datación directa de la pintura roja mediante la magnetización remanente pictórica
A groundbreaking study on the UNESCO-listed National Archeological Park of Tierradentro, Colombia, has successfully dated the red paintings within its hypogeal tombs to between 1070 and 1150 AD using pictorial remanent magnetization analysis. This method, leveraging hematite grains' magnetic properties, revealed that the responsible minerals exhibit both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic characteristics. The findings align with a similar burial discovered at Rancho Grande in the La Cumbre-Pavas region, providing a significant contribution to resolving long-standing debates about the age of these culturally significant structures.
Capacity building for the documentation and conservation of Latin American cultural heritage: making technology accessible and sustainable
Interdisciplinary collaboration can effectively integrate advanced digital techniques into the sustainable documentation and conservation of Latin American cultural heritage sites. A capacity-building program, involving universities from Colombia and Canada along with a government institution, demonstrated that training emerging professionals in 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and other sophisticated digital recording methods enhances the accuracy, reliability, and long-term sustainability of heritage documentation. This approach was applied to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites—National Archeological Park of Tierradentro and San Agustín Archaeological Park—to address threats to their mural paintings and carved rock phases. The study provides a framework for implementing such strategies in low-income economies, emphasizing the importance of technology adoption and capacity building in optimizing conservation efforts.
Mariposas (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) de Tierradentro, San Andrés de Pisimbalá, Cauca, Colombia
A total of 128 butterfly species, belonging to five families (Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae, Pieridae, Riodinidae, and Lycaenidae), were documented for the first time in the National Archaeological Park of Tierradentro, Colombia. The study highlights that forest and cultivated areas exhibited the highest diversity, likely due to their vegetational heterogeneity. Notably, some species identified as indicators of good conservation status were found in the forest coverage, suggesting its ecological health. Researchers employed two sampling methods—entomological nets and Van Someren-Rydon traps—to assess butterfly diversity across three vegetation types: secondary forest, polyculture crops, and pasture.
Pueblos reexistentes: conflicto armado y construcción de autonomía indígena en Tierradentro, Colombia (1994-2016)
Indigenous Nasa communities in Colombia's Tierradentro region successfully resisted armed conflict through a strategy of 'reexistence,' which combines political autonomy with spiritual negotiation. This approach, analyzed using sociological and anthropological frameworks, allowed the Nasa—organized under the Council Regional Indígena del Cauca—to reclaim agency over their territory and relationships with both human and non-human entities. Unlike other subaltern groups, their resistance was more effective due to this dual focus on autonomy from armed actors while engaging with spiritual forces in territorial defense. The study highlights how indigenous ontologies and organized resistance can shape outcomes in conflict zones.
Tierradentro in the Past and Present
The National Archeological Park of Tierradentro, located in the isolated highlands of southern Colombia's Cauca department, offers a unique glimpse into the resilience and independence of indigenous Paez communities. This study reveals how the region's rugged topography and strategic isolation enabled the Paez to maintain autonomy during the Spanish Conquest, contrasting with neighboring groups. The research also highlights the influence of climate, topography, and external interactions on agricultural practices, providing insights into the cultural and historical dynamics of the area. By analyzing historical accounts and regional characteristics, the study reconstructs the landscape and societal structure of Tierradentro, emphasizing its significance as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tras la ruta del Café Nasa. Técnicas de organización en Tierradentro, Colombia
Café Nasa, cultivated by the indigenous Nasa community in Colombia's Tierradentro region, embodies complex social and environmental relationships. This study reveals how producers creatively organize cultivation, processing, and commercialization to sustain community life amid interethnic contexts. Unlike conventional coffee production, Café Nasa thrives on relational practices—blending traditional knowledge with heterogeneous technologies—to ensure traceability, quality, and fair market recognition. The research highlights the Nasa people's historical resilience in social cohesion and territorial defense, demonstrating how their agricultural strategies adapt to tropical geographies while preserving cultural identity. Etnographic methods uncover a dynamic interplay between people, techniques, and environments, illustrating how Café Nasa becomes both an economic product and a symbol of indigenous innovation.
Mujeres campesinas de Inzá- Tierradentro, Cauca: una mirada desde los feminismos decoloniales
The Comitê de Mulheres of the Asociación Campesina de Inzá Tierradentro (Cauca, Colombia) exemplifies decolonial feminist resistance through its territorial defense and community-building efforts. This study highlights how their dynamics challenge hegemonic colonial discourses by fostering autonomous, popular models that empower subaltern subjectivities. Using a decolonial feminist lens, the research interprets the committee's role in reconstructing social fabric and strengthening communal autonomy, offering an alternative to traditional power structures. The approach combines critical analysis with ethnographic insights, emphasizing grassroots agency in reshaping knowledge and being.
Reformas poblacionales y ordenamiento territorial del Partido de Tierradentro en la provincia de Cartagena durante la primera mitad del siglo XVIII: la labor del juez y alcalde pedáneo Francisco Pérez de Vargas 1743 - 1745
During the first half of the 18th century, the Partido de Tierradentro in the Province of Cartagena underwent significant population reforms and territorial reorganization. These changes were pivotal in addressing the Crown's need to supply Cartagena via land routes amid conflicts with England, particularly following the Treaties of Utrecht and the establishment, suppression, and restoration of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. The study focuses on the role of Judge and Pedáneo Alcalde Francisco Pérez de Vargas (1743–1745) in implementing these reforms, linking them to broader geopolitical shifts. By analyzing historical records and administrative documents, the research reconstructs how territorial governance was adapted to strategic and logistical demands during a period of colonial instability.
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