Before the arrival of the Spanish, Colombia was home to several indigenous cultures: Calima, Chibchas, Nariño, Quimbaya, Sinú, Tayrona, San Agustin, Tierradentro, etc. The Gold Museum presents visitors with gold pieces from each of these cultures to create the world’s most important collection of pre-Hispanic goldwork. More than 35,000 gold pieces bear witness to the technical prowess of these cultures.
The legend of El Dorado
You’ve probably heard of the legend of El Dorado. It originated in the Bogotá region. As part of the ritual for the enthronement of the new king of Bacatá (the former name of Bogotá), the people attended and took part in a ceremony in the vicinity of Lake Guatavita. The new sovereign had to cover his entire body with gold powder, then glide across the waters of the sacred Lake Guatavita to offer treasures to the goddess Guatavita. The people had to do the same. When the first Spaniards discovered this tradition, they brought back to Europe the story that hundreds of indigenous people were throwing gold objects encrusted with precious stones into the lake. The ritual gradually developed into the myth of a city built entirely of gold.
Today we know that only the ceremony was real, because many objects have been found in the depths of the lake and can be admired in the Gold Museum.
Poporo Quimbaya
The main work in the Gold Museum is the Poporo Quimbaya, an extremely beautiful piece acquired by the Banco de la República, with which the bank opened the museum and the collection. The Poporo Quimbaya is a piece of Quimbaya art from the classical period. It was made around 300 BC. It was mainly used to create mambe. Mambe is a dust. It is produced by grinding dry coca leaves and mixing them with ashes from yarumo leaves. Mambe had a spiritual and medicinal role, because for the natives the coca plant is a sacred plant. It should not be confused with cocaine. Its use is strictly linked to rituals and should not be confused with drugs.
The Gold Museum
As well as 35,000 gold pieces, the Gold Museum also houses almost 30,000 ceramic, stone, shell, bone and textile pieces from pre-Hispanic cultures all over Colombia. The museum has 5 rooms:
- Metalwork
- People and gold in pre-Hispanic Colombia
- Cosmology and symbolism
- Offerings
- Exploration
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