In concrete terms, the lowlands of the Pacific extend from west to east, from the coast to the foothills on the western side of the Andes Mountains, and from north to south, from the south of the Darién region (where Colombia now meets Panama) down as far as the province of Esmeraldas on Ecuadorian territory. According to West, 'this is a strip of land almost a thousand miles long and between 80 and 160 kilometres wide' (West, 1957; 2000, p. 31). Sea, coast, rivers, inlets and swamps, forests and gentle hills are the main features of this landscape. The element of water, in all its manifestations, stands out as a natural icon here; this is demonstrated by the fact that the area has one of the highest rainfall levels in the world, and certainly one of the very highest in the Americas. West describes one of the area's notable features as the 'humid tropical forest' covered by 'a canopy formed of gigantic trees' with 'hundreds of rivers which run down the slopes of the mountains and hills between the forests heading towards the sea' (West, 1957; 2000, p.33). This water, and the profusion of forests, flora and fauna, provided the backdrop against which emerged the culture and ancient wisdom of indigenous peoples and Afrodescendants. Rivers are a means of communication par excellence; their banks and neighbouring areas serve as centres for populations and fixed and transient settlement. Such movements are influenced not only by surface groundwater levels, river currents and tides, but also by the dynamics of gold prospecting, namely the demand among slave gangs and free people.