Offered twice a day, in English and Spanish, a tour provides an informed perspective of this vast collection of pre-Colombian gold work. Approximately one hour in length, the tour is an essential experience for this must-see museum, highlighting the rich cultural history of Colombia, or Caribe as it was called in pre-Hispanic society.
Colombian History
Beginning at San Augustin in the south, meandering through the Magdalena Valley in the central region, and ending on the coast in La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a tour through the People and Gold Gallery is also a glimpse at history via geography, as the further north the younger the civilisations (and gold work) are dated.
Indigenous Cosmology
The guide explains that a common philosophy held among the various indigenous tribes in Colombia (and the Americas) is their belief in numerous ‘worlds’ beyond life on earth. These worlds include the world of the sun, the earth and the sea. Within each world reigned an animal: the eagles of the sky, the chieftans of the earth, and the fish of the seas. The chieftans, residing between worlds, served to bridge these worlds through their shamanic ceremonies.
Animal Symbolism
In the Cosmology and Symbolism Gallery, the guide explains the predominance of the jaguar image in the gold work: worn as a mask, amulet, or talisman by the chieftans., the jaguar is revered among many indigenous as the most sacred of all animals. Meaning ‘the son of the sun,’ the jaguar represented great power because of its ability to thrive in all three worlds of earth, air and water: it can run very fast, climb very high, and swim very well.
Goldsmiths and Shamanism
Another common theme in indigenous cosmology is the need for balance between opposing elements, such as wet/dry, male/female, day/night, etc. This is represented in the gold work as the men were buried with breastplates and the women with phallic-shaped objects. The men, who were shamans, held the responsibility of communicating with other worlds, while the woman achieved balance by holding leadership in the community. Goldsmiths held a dual position in society since they combined technical and supernatural knowledge in their work: many of them were religious and political leaders.
Sacred Plants
A fitting conclusion to the Gold Museum tour is an explanation of the use of certain sacred plants by the shamans. Coca leaf ‘chewing’ is secondary to breathing for indigenous men of Colombia. Chewing coca is used to help think, renew energy and to transmit sacred knowledge; the plant itself is considered feminine in nature. Thus, to chew coca is to achieve balance with the female element. The poporo, a gourd-like container that holds the coca leaves is also representative of the feminine, with its rounded features indicative of a woman’s body. It was the discovery of this poporo, pictured below – one of the masterpiece’s of the museum’s collection – that inspired the Gold Museum’s beginning in 1939.
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