Identifier: earthitsinhabita941recl (find matches)
Title: The earth and its inhabitants ..
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: Reclus, Elisée, 1830-1905 Ravenstein, Ernest George, 1834-1913 Keane, A. H. (Augustus Henry), 1833-1912
Subjects: Geography
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: MBLWHOI Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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Fusagasuga. San Agustin, most elevated town in the Magdalena valley (5,360 feet), liesin a secluded corner of a vast territory where the Andaqui formerly assembledfor their religious celebrations. From the still extant remains of a temple,converted by treasure-hunters into a mass of shapeless ruins, it may be inferredthat the structure consisted of a huge basalt slab resting on pillars andmasking an underground recess. Coarse sculptures, representing humanand animal figuresâamongst them that of the frog, one of the commonestidols in the North Andean regionsâoccur at intervals, forming so manystations, at which the pilgrims stopped to recite some prescribed formulas.The ruins date prabably from an epoch anterior to that of the Muyscacivilisation. Some six miles east of San Agustin, in the opposite direction to the temple andline of idols, is situated the so-called Llano de la Matanza ( Field of Slaughter )where a multitude of Andaqui were butchered by the Spaniards, who were thus
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TOPOGRAPHY OF COLOMBIA. 181 able to plunder the shrines and carry off their gold statuettes without fear offurther disturbance. Timana, north-east of San Agustin, but at a much lower elevation (3,500 feet),is surrounded by extensive plantations. This was the first Spanish settlementin the district ; but its founder, unable to defend the place, fell into the hands ofan Indian princess. La Plata, another town, so named from its long profitablyworked silver-mines, was also destroyed by the Pijaos Indians, and had to berebuilt on another site, all trace of the mines having disappeared. Till recentlyover 3,000 families of Timana, Naraiijal, and neighbouring districts derived acomfortable income from plaiting nacuma straw hats ; but the fashion haschanged, and other local industries have also been partly driven from the marketby imported goods. Neira, capital of the old state and present department of Tolima, lies at analtitude of 1,540 feet on the right bank of the Magdalena, at the head o

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