LOS MONUMENTOS DE LOS KARANKIS PREHISPÁNICOS: UNA HISTORIA A PUNTO DE DESAPARECER

Abstract

The Karanki monuments, which are earthen mounds of enormous size, bear witness to the ancient history of the Karanki, who occupied the northern highlands and the cloud forests to the west between ~1250 and 1525 AD. Archaeologists try to decipher this history by studying the monuments, artifacts, and other vestiges left by the Karanki, but urban advance, mechanized agriculture, and other anthropic activities are destroying the cultural remains at an accelerated rate. When today's Ecuadorians, especially its indigenous people, become truly interested in knowing their pre-Hispanic heritage, there will be few visible traces of their aboriginal ancestors on the landscape. Although progress has been made in the investigation of Karanki archaeological sites, there is still much to learn about Karanki socio-political organization, agriculture, regional trade and exchange, and other aspects of culture. As documented in this article, the opportunity to do this research is disappearing daily in front of our eyes. It is unfortunate that so little consideration has been given to the conservation of these impressive ancient monuments that are so obvious on the northern landscape. Ecuador’s present constitution specifically provides for the preservation of cultural patrimony, as do the many signed international commitments of the last 60 years. But all of the words are for nothing if those res ponsible in national and local institutions and agencies are not aware of the problem, and do not educate the populace of the need for heritage