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Zenúes
EntityQ191322· pop 15· linked from 297 articles

Also known as Zenu

The Zenú, Sinú or Cenú is a pre-Columbian culture and Indigenous people in Colombia, whose ancestral territory comprises the valleys of the Sinú and San Jorge rivers as well as the coast of the Caribbean around the Gulf of Morrosquillo. These lands lie within the departments of Córdoba and Sucre.

Key facts

Ethnic group.image
Colombia- Zenú indigenous culture 200BC - 1600AD.png
Ethnic group.image_caption
Caribbean area where the Zenú culture developed between 200 BCE and 1600 CE. The dark green area is the inland delta where most of the Zenú irrigation and drainage works were constructed.
Ethnic group.population
307,091
Ethnic group.total_year
2018
Ethnic group.popplace
Colombia
Ethnic group.languages
Sinúfana language

via Wikipedia infobox

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Zenú
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~13 min read

Article

13 sections
Contents
  • Pre-Columbian period
  • Waterworks
  • Symbol of fertility
  • Gold ornaments
  • Textiles and wickerwork
  • Zenú identity
  • Contact with Polynesians
  • After the Spanish conquest
  • Zenúes of the river valleys
  • Zenúes in the mountains of San Jacinto
  • Notes
  • External links
  • References

The Zenú, Sinú or Cenú is a pre-Columbian culture and Indigenous people in Colombia, whose ancestral territory comprises the valleys of the Sinú and San Jorge rivers as well as the coast of the Caribbean around the Gulf of Morrosquillo. These lands lie within the departments of Córdoba and Sucre.

The Zenú civilization peaked from about 200 BCE to about 1600 CE, constructing major waterworks and producing gold ornaments. The gold that was often buried with their dead lured the Spanish conquistadors, who looted much of the gold. With the arrival of the Spaniards, the chiefdom was decimated over a 25-year period (1510–1535) by disease and warfare. The Zenú language disappeared around 200 years ago. However, the 2018 Colombian Census showed 307,091 Zenú people in Colombia.

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