Páez

Páez, Indians of the southern highlands of Colombia. The Páez speak a Chibchan language very closely related to that of the now-extinct Pijao and Coconuco (see Chibchan languages).

The Páez inhabit the high mountains and plateaus. Their chief crop is potatoes, and many also grow such nontraditional crops as wheat and coffee. Each family farms its own land, but the lands of the church are cultivated by communal labour. Most planting is done with digging sticks. Settlements are dispersed, each family living on its own land. Houses are made of poles and sometimes are double-walled, with mud and stones between.

The modern crafts of the Páez include pottery, weaving, and basketry. Before Spanish rule, stone and gold and copper were worked. Polygyny was also common, but Roman Catholicism has enforced monogamy. Traditional puberty rites and menstrual taboos continued to be observed well into the 20th century. The Páez were estimated to number about 60,000 in the late 20th century.