Producción agrícola y organización política en las sociedades prehispánicas del Alto Magdalena

The purpose of archaeology should be to ex - plain the social phenomena of the past and the reasons behind their cultural expressions, in order to contribute to promoting a less omi - nous future for humankind. Consequently, to produce socially useful knowledge we must strive to unravel the foundations of the insti - tutions of social reproduction, often masque - rading as sacred drama. In the case of the Alto Magdalena during the Regional Classic period (AD 1-900), emerging elites resorted to the sa - credness of the ancestors, protected by a sys - tem of social relationships based on kinship, in order to strengthen and ensure the permanen - ce of a tributary chiefly society.