chiefdom · South America

Tairona

200 CE – 1600 CE (approx.) · capital Teyuna

Chiefdoms of Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta that built stone-terraced towns such as the Ciudad Perdida and whose descendants still live in the mountains.

Origins

Settlement in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and its Caribbean coast developed from around 200 CE, and the Tairona style, with stone architecture, emerged by about 1000 CE. Communities built towns on mountain ridges with terraces, stairways and paved paths.

Rule and society

The Tairona were organised in independent chiefdoms and towns linked by alliances, with priests called mamas holding great authority. Teyuna, known as the Ciudad Perdida or Lost City, had some 170 stone terraces and a network of paved roads. Farming of maize, cassava and fruit on terraces sustained dense populations. Their goldsmiths made fine pendants and nose ornaments in tumbaga, a gold-copper alloy.

Decline and legacy

Spanish contact began after the foundation of Santa Marta in 1525. The Tairona resisted for decades until a major revolt was crushed around 1600, after which towns such as Teyuna were abandoned. Their descendants, the Kogi, Arhuaco, Wiwa and Kankuamo peoples, still live in the Sierra.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Tairona. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tairona
MLA
“Tairona.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tairona. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Tairona.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tairona.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Tairona’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tairona (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻