Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 October 2018
En la expresión material de las sociedades prehispánicas que habitaron la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM), Colombia, durante los periodos cronológicos Nahuange (100–1000 dC) y Tairona (1000–1600 dC) se aprecia una amplia variedad de objetos elaborados en piedra verde. Entre estos se destacan placas aladas alargadas, posiblemente talladas con una intención simbólica asociada a un tipo de materia prima específica. Placas aladas de formas similares se han reportado en amplias regiones del norte de Colombia y Venezuela, Panamá, Costa Rica y el Caribe. En este trabajo, la identificación de la materia prima a partir de estudios arqueométricos realizados sobre placas aladas prehispánicas de la SNSM revela que estas están elaboradas en jade tipo nefrita, serpentinita y calcedonia. Las características mineralógicas de los artefactos fueron comparadas con la asociación mineralógica identificada en rocas de la Formación Punta Betín, la Formación Rodadero y el Batolito de Santa Marta de la Sierra Nevada. La similitud mineralógica encontrada entre las placas y las rocas estudiadas permite proponer una fuente geológica de origen local en la SNSM.
The artisanal record of the prehispanic peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM), Colombia, who lived in the region during the chronological periods Nahuange (AD 100 to 1000) and Tairona (AD 1000 to 1600), contains a wide variety of artifacts made from varied materials. This is explained by the abundance of mineral resources in the area and existing cultural exchange with other regions. Many of these artifacts were made of a green stone, including winged plates carved for possibly symbolic reasons that were associated with a specific type of raw material. Winged plates with similar shapes have been archaeologically reported in the north of Colombia, Venezuela, Panamá, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. Archaeometric studies on the plates of the SNSM reveal that these are elaborated in nephrite, serpentinite, and chalcedony. The mineralogical characteristics identified in the artifacts were compared with the minerals identified on rocks of the Punta Betín, Rodadero Formation, and the Batolito de Santa Marta of the Sierra Nevada. The mineralogical similarity found between the plates and the rocks allows us to suggest a geological source of local origin in the SNSM.