By: Ana María Zabala
Metallurgy flourished in a broad region including the Andean zone of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia; as well as in Costa Rica and certain parts of Mexico. Peoples in pre-colonial times practiced metallurgy for thirty centuries, from mid first millennium BCE until the beginning of the sixteenth century CE, when Spanish colonization eroded indigenous’ peoples cultural fabrics and the practice was interrupted.
The most abundant period of goldsmithing work in Colombia and Central America was registered between the years 400 BCE and the beginning of the colonial period. Present-day Colombia represents the region with the greatest variety in techniques and styles of goldsmithing—the majority of the techniques known to have been used in Abya Yala were applied by the peoples in what is now Colombia. This diversity is due to the fact that this territory is a mosaic of ecological niches framed by a geographical and climatic diversity which influences different human communities. Certain scholars consider seven major zones of goldsmithing defined by a specific style: Tayrona, Muisca, Sinú/Zenú, Quimbaya, Calima, Tolima and Nariño. The minor zones are: Tumaco, Cauca, Tierradentro and San Agustín.
Goldsmithing regions in Colombia. Taken from: Plazas de Nieto, C., & Falchetti, A. M. (1979). La orfebrería prehispánica de Colombia.
Colombian scholars on goldsmithing have coined the term horizontes for certain pieces made in the same style that have been found to be distributed across a wide range of goldsmithing regions. These are pieces with the same pattern that appear in different variations across the majority of the goldsmithing regions. An example of an horizonte is the half-moon shaped nose ring. One of the most representative horizontes are the Darién, which are schematized human figures distributed in many regions of Colombia, as well as in Panamá, Costa Rica and Mexico.
This phenomenon can be attributed to the pre-colonial commercial relationships and routes between the peoples in these territories. The existence of a shared basic pattern indicates that the groups who made these pieces must have shared certain cultural traits. The modifications in the basic pattern tells us of the centuries of experimentation and refining of regional techniques. Horizontes speak to us about complex interconnections between the peoples who have inhabited Abya Yala from immemorial times.
Chronology of Colombian goldsmithing. Taken from: Plazas de Nieto, C., & Falchetti, A. M. (1979). La orfebrería prehispánica de Colombia.
References
Plazas de Nieto, C., & Falchetti, A. M. (1979). La orfebrería prehispánica de Colombia. Boletín Museo Del Oro, (3), 1-53. Retrieved from https://publicaciones.banrepcultural.org/index.php/bmo/article/view/7354
Vargas Martínez, Gustavo. (1934). Americo Vespucio: El Primer Nombre. Retrieved from https://www.banrepcultural.org/biblioteca-virtual/credencial-historia/numero-29/americo-vespucio-500-anos-del-descubrimiento-de-america