This study examines the construction of the pre-Hispanic past of Colombia from the 1820's to the 1940s. It describes and analyses the reception, dissemination and appropriation of knowledge about ancient Colombian societies. It analyses the works by Colombian and foreign antiquarians, savants and archaeologists and the formation of Colombian pre-Hispanic collections in the Museo Nacional in Bogotá and in three major European Museums : the Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin, the British Museum in London and the Musée d'Etnographie du Trocadero in Paris. The study shows the ways Colombian archaeological objects were viewed in the course of this history. At its outset, during the Colonial period, Colombian pre-Hispanic objects were first seen as "Idols of the devil"; in Europe, they were initially considered as curiosities and as works or art. During the nineteenth century, archaeological objects began to be valued and interpreted by Colombian and foreign scholars and antiquarians as antiquities and also as art objects. How Colombia was presented and represented in the National Museum in Bogotá and in international exhibitions during the second half of the nineteenth century is described and analysed, and how pre-Hispanic artefacts came to form part of a representation of Colombia nationally and internationally. The final chapters deal with the first four decades of the twentieth century, when the pre-Hispanic period received a new degree of recognition in Colombia with the enactment of official measures for the protection of antiquities, the building of archaeological collections in the National Museum in Bogotá and in research done by foreign and Colombian archaeologists, which began to define archaeological areas scientifically. The final chapter examines the background for the establishment of the Colombian scientific tradition in archaeology during the 1930's with the creation of the Servicio Arqueológico Nacional, the Institute Etnológico Nacional and two archaeological museums, the Museo Arqueológico Nacional and the Museo del Oro.

Skeletal remains provide an exceptional opportunity to document the biological adaptations that a population undergoes in response to environmental, political and economic changes (Perry, 2007). For over 35 years, bioarchaeological analyses have documented such changes indigenous Ecuadorians. In 2007, Victoria Dominguez excavated remains at the Plaza San Marcos in Quito, Ecuador. I analyzed these remains, documented evidence of pathologic conditions and trauma, and compared this native population to other indigenous populations and to European cohorts. My analyses revealed increased violence and pathologic conditions in the Plaza San Marcos population when compared to populations occupying Quito prior to colonization and during Spanish control. Indigenous remains also exhibited more pathologic conditions and trauma than European remains. Historic accounts of life in Quito describe increased violence and hardships for natives following emancipation from Spain. My analyses did not reveal increased interpersonal violence, but did demonstrate evidence of increased general pathologies following independence. / by Ronda R. Graves. / Thesis M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

New data on human skeletal remains from Site 35 in Salango, Ecuador is combined with existing data presented by Jastremski (2006) to compile a more comprehensive report about the health conditions of the people. Site 35, which is associated with the Manteño culture that flourished in the Integration period from A.D. 500 – 1532, has been determined to comprise a singular population that is represented by a minimum of 27 individuals. In addition to more comprehensive conclusions about Site 35, this thesis uses the data from Site 35 in an extended comparison of health among prehistoric sites from six additional sites to observe general trends over time and across geography. Through an indepth analysis of distinct health traits, the general conclusion matches previous reports that the overall quality of health in Ecuador declined over time. However, the present analysis shows a less dramatic decline for coastal sites than for inland sites. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.