Guanes

Guanes were a small group who lived mainly in the area of Santander, Colombia until 1586. They spoke Chibchan languague  and were farmers cultivating cottom, fruits especially pinaple, cassava, corn, coca, tobacco using advanced agricultural techniques.

They were also excellent and skilled artisans, they worked in cotton textiles and made their own weapons, including arrows and spears. The develop of their own textile industry had a great importance because:

• Their need to interchange blankets, textiles and clothing to obtain products that they didn't have in their territory. 
• They used to pay taxes to their political leaders and "Caciques" with textiles.
• They buried their people with luxurious blankets.

They had good trade relations with Chitareros, Musicas and Yariguíes different groups  of nearby regions interchanging food, textiles, pottery, salt  and snails who had an important meaning in their rituals. 

Besides agriculture, The Guanes also cultivated "Hormigas Culonas", a typical variety of ants from the region that are consider as a delicacy for the local people and it is a custom that remains in these days.

It is a shame that we don´t  have a good knowledge of this interesting culture of our region and a few vestiges remain, thanks in part to the extinction of this group by the Spanish conquest.