Gold and Meaning

The Inca and Muisca civilizations produced goldwork of extraordinary technical refinement. The famous El Dorado legend originated from a Muisca coronation ritual where a new chief was covered in gold dust and rowed to the center of Lake Guatavita.

When the Spanish arrived, they melted down nearly all the gold and silver art they found and shipped it home as bullion. The vast majority of pre-Columbian metalwork was lost this way, leaving only a small fraction intact today.