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| Quimbaya: vaso decorado con figura femenina |
COLOMBIA GOLD
It is a MYSTERY still how this culture managed
the way to melt the gold to obtain the exact grade of gold and copper to
maintain a high purity, it is still unknown how such quality was
achieved since they would need kilns that would reach a thousand degrees
Celsius to melt these pieces
One of the most famous activities of
the Quimbaya are the luxurious goldsmith works, which exhibits an
incredible beauty as well as a perfect technique. They developed
metallurgy systems to combine copper
with gold that was not abundant in their region (unlike other areas of
the country). This combination of gold and copper, called "tumbaga",
would not detract from the attractiveness, brightness and durability of
its magnificent pieces, of a spectacular vivacity. One of them, very
popular, is the famous poporos. His goldsmithing is one of the most
important in America given the exquisite beauty of the pieces expressed
by very well developed metallurgical methods.
Another of the mysteries of the Quimbaya Culture are the Quimbaya artifacts, formerly called "Pájaros del Otún", since the former was found near the banks of the Otún River in the province of Risaralda.
The Quimbaya people reached their zenith during the 4th to 7th century CE period known as The Quimbaya Classic. The culture's the most emblematic piece comes from this period, a form of poporo known as the Poporo Quimbaya, on exhibit at the Bogotá Gold Museum. The most frequent designs in the art pieces are anthropomorphic, depicting men and women sitting with closed eyes and placid expression, as well as many fruits and forms of poporos.
Most of the retrieved items are part of funeral offerings, found inside sarcophagi made of hollow trunks. The gold represented a sacred metal and the passport for the afterlife. Around the 10th century the Quimbaya culture disappeared entirely due to unknown circumstances; studies of the archeological items point to an advanced cultural development and the political structure of a cacicazgo with separated groups dedicated to pottery, religion, trade, gold work and war.
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