Sunday, May 27, 2018

Pre-Columbian Jewellery




Hello Sunday Readers,



Today I will talk a little bit about one of my favorite themes, jewellery history.
It is very special to me because the theme is Pre-Columbian Jewellery, and I’m Colombian.
One of the four most advanced civilizations of the Americas apart from the AztecsMayans, and Incans, was the Muisca civilization on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes

The Muisca (or Chibchacivilization flourished in ancient Colombia between 600 and 1600 CE. Their territory encompassed what is now Bogotá and its environs, and they have gained lasting fame as the origin of the El Dorado legend. The Muisca have also left a significant artistic legacy with their superb gold work, and much of the excellence of this work has never been reached by any other Americas culture.


The most well-known piece of this civilization is The Muisca Ralf, which is exhibited at the Gold Museum in Bogota. It is a lost-wax casting in gold with a small amount of copper.



 


                                                           The Muisca Raft




It represents the ceremony of investiture of the Muisca chief, which used to take place at Lake Guatavita.


The raft was found by three farmers in early 1969 in a cave in the village of Lázaro Fonte in the municipality of Pasca (Cundinamarca), Colombia, in a ceramic pot, adorned with a human figure whose face has sharp teeth.



Typical Muisca designs include spirals and other geometric, inter-locking forms. Also produced were ceramics (including clay figures) and carved semi-precious stones. 





                                      Muisca's Charms Braceler. Sterling Silver. hplafaurie.ca






All this heritage full of meaning and unavailable richness has been passed down through generations and is part of the pride of being Colombian. And in a miraculous way, it has come to my hands and imagination to help me transform materials into wonderful things!



Have a nice Sunday!

Helena


References,
Muisca Raft, Wikipedia
Ancient History Encyclopedia