Before the Europeans came to Colombia, it was inhabited by numerous, major indigenous cultures including Muisca, Tairona, and Quimbaya. The inhabitants of this pre- Colombian era made a mark on Colombia with towns and stone paths, enigmatic statues, burial urns and outstanding gold and pottery. One of the most well known groups were the Muisca people, who were farmers on the highland plains. They were also well known for their goldsmiths and potteries. The group that was most advanced in technology were the Taironas, who settled on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada, along the Atlantic. Their economy was purely based on fishing and agriculture and commerce, and they had a very complex, but effective way of organizing their social system. Finally there was the Quimbayas, who practiced ritual cannibalism, and their society was worked the same way as Taironas, including a class system and an economy that was prospering. But when Europeans from Spain arrived in 1499, they brought a myth about El Dorado. In the most exaggerated form, El Dorado was believed to be a land of gold mountains “littered with emeralds”. Although, the Spaniards did not find El Dorado, their search resulted in rapid colonization. With so many new settlers coming, they needed land to live …show more content…
Since the Indians did not communicate with other cultures and peoples before the Europeans arrived, "this weakened their defenses against the major diseases of mankind" (Crosby 31). Also, since the diseases that the Europeans had were very communicable, the spread of diseases were rapid. In truth, some diseases had spread so quickly that there were cases that Indians became infected before they even had direct contact with any Europeans. During the Columbian Exchange, "the most deadly of the early epidemics in America were those of eruptive fevers - smallpox, measles, typhus, and so on" (Crosby