Quimbaya artifacts are types of objects, mostly made of ceramic and gold, that were created by the Quimbaya civilization. This civilization was one of many ancient cultures in what is now Colombia, and it lived in the Middle Cauca River valley and the southern part of Antioquia. These artifacts were made during the Classical Quimbaya period, which lasted from 500 BC to 600 AD.
Artifact types
Poporos are types of containers used to store powdered lime, which is made from heated seashells. These containers were often made of gold and decorated with human figures. They showed great elegance in how they were designed, made, and finished.
The most important poporo artifact is the Poporo Quimbaya, displayed in the Gold Museum in Bogotá, Colombia. Created using the lost wax technique in Tumbaga alloy around 300 CE, this 777-gram golden container was used in religious ceremonies to hold lime while chewing coca leaves.
Quimbaya ceremonial items include human-shaped figures, often male and seated, measuring about 10 to 50 centimeters tall. These were made of gold or clay and used as urns for ashes. Examples are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These figures were designed to represent social classes and were placed in tombs as companions for the deceased. They are described as "serenely smiling human beings in a variety of calm poses."
Other artifacts include plant-shaped and animal-shaped figures, such as birds, insects, fish, and bats. These are about 5 to 7.5 centimeters long, and over 100 are displayed in the Museo del Oro in Bogotá, Colombia.
Artifacts also include beads, pendants, and body ornaments like nose rings and ear rings. Larger items were used for home decoration or tombs, showing their importance in Quimbaya traditions.
Other cultural items found include bowls, jars, bottles, musical instruments, bells, helmets, and weapons. These were discovered through archaeological digs.
In addition to figurines and containers, other items like funeral masks and sarcophagi were used in burials. These suggest the importance of burial rituals and the use of gold as a sacred material to prepare for the afterlife.
The Quimbaya Treasure
The most famous collection of Quimbaya artifacts is the Quimbaya Treasure, which includes 433 items first found in 1890 in Quindio, Colombia. These artifacts consist of poporos and other ceremonial objects, such as containers, figures, crowns, pendants, beads, pins, bells, musical instruments, and ornaments for the nose and ears.
Many of the original artifacts were bought in 1891 by President Carlos Holguín as a gift for Queen María Cristina de Habsburgo of Spain. These 122 items, mostly made of gold and related to funerals, were later shown at the Museo de América in Madrid, Spain. They remain there even though a court in Colombia ruled on October 19, 2017, that the objects should be returned to Colombia based on international laws about the cultural property of indigenous peoples.
Materials and technology
Gold is the most common material used in Quimbaya artifacts, which include artistic designs of animals like birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles. Gold is also used in poporos and cinerary urns shaped like important people from their society.
Many items in the Quimbaya Treasure are made of gold and include decorative personal items such as nose rings, necklaces, ear spacers, bracelets, and pendants. These items were part of a large collection buried with people, but it was later stolen.
Most Quimbaya artifacts are made from pure gold or a mix of gold and copper called Tumbaga. This mix gives the gold a reddish color and makes it easier to shape after casting. Many gold and Tumbaga items were made using the lost wax technique, a method used by ancient civilizations as early as 4000 BCE.
Most recovered Quimbaya ceramic items are decorated jars and vessels with human-like features. There are also many ceramic figures that show different social classes or individuals.
Many spindle whorls made of ceramic were found among the Quimbaya treasure. These items show how important weaving was in their culture, as they were buried with people in funerary customs.
Other pre-Columbian cultures in the region also made similar types of artifacts, showing a wide variety of artistic styles and materials used.
Quimbaya goldsmiths, potters, and ceramic makers lived at the same time as skilled artisans in nearby cultures, such as the San Agustin, Tierradentro, Tumaco, Zenú, and Narino cultures.
Before the Quimbaya became known for their goldwork, metal objects were already used in the region to show differences in social status and class in pre-Columbian cultures.
Artifact controversies
The detailed record of the Quimbaya culture's unique traditions may have been harmed because many artifacts may be copies or new items sent to museums and private collections, pretending to be real. This has also led to incorrect ideas about the artifacts. Over time, the word "Quimbaya" has become less connected to the culture's true traditions because of the large number of artifacts traded, making it more of an exaggerated description for strange and mysterious items found in central Colombia.
The rise in trading artifacts from South America led to more fake items being made. Some real artifacts were changed by combining broken pieces into new, more complex designs to sell better. Others were completely made in modern times to look like ancient items.
Partially fake artifacts are a big problem because heavy repairs make it hard to tell if they are real. Many real artifacts are found in poor condition or missing parts, which makes them less valuable. Restoring these items can make them look better and increase their worth.
In Colombia and parts of South America, "Guaquéros" refers to people who steal from graves or tombs for a living. This was common in the early 1800s when laws said that whoever found the artifacts owned them. These rules stayed until the early 1900s, when new laws made the government the owner of artifacts, protecting them better.
The Guaquéros trade grew because of high international demand for exotic artifacts. This led to more false labels about where artifacts came from to hide their real origins. Today, illegal trading is hard to track and requires a lot of work to prove if items are real.
Many original gold artifacts were melted into ingots before being studied because the metal was more valuable to thieves than the cultural meaning. This loss made it harder to learn about the Quimbaya culture and its history.
Some stylized animal figures from the Quimbaya culture have been claimed by ancient astronaut theorists to look like ancient planes. These items are often called "Quimbaya Artifacts" or mistakenly called "Tolima fighter jets," a name from a 2009 TV show called Ancient Aliens. The artifacts include gold items shaped like local animals like fish, frogs, and reptiles. The "jets" may actually be statues of birds or flying fish. The TV show tried to prove these items looked like ancient planes, but they are more likely to represent local animals.
Archaeological investigations
Scientists have studied pre-Hispanic artifacts, especially gold items, to learn about their composition. This includes examining the materials, techniques, and colors used to determine their age and possible location. Methods like spectrophotometry and spectroscopy have been used to analyze differences in metal composition, helping to identify where the artifacts might have come from. It is important to note that different goldsmith cultures lived in the Columbian territories, and each used unique techniques and alloys to create different surface finishes and colors.
The physical condition of artifacts affects scientific analysis. Damage or weathering can make it harder to study them. How these artifacts are preserved, stored, and restored influences how they are understood today. Accurate dating and knowing their geographical origin help scientists identify cultural, social, and religious practices that might have been used for ceremonies or traditions.