Pre hispanic gold working in the Americas

[Crow]

Metallurgy flourished over all of the Americas.

The metal working tradition in the Americas developed over 3000 years to the 16th century when cultures began too disintegrate from the Spanish Conquest.

The oldest known metal objects found so far was in Andhuaylas region in Southern Peruvian highlands. Small hammered pieces of tools used in the manufacture of gold ware by professor Goldman in 1974. The date of these items was 1500 BC . The next known established dates of metalworking was from the Chavin culture of northern Peru. Which was about 800 BC. Items of nose pieces crowns and other objects.

The earliest date of metal working is first century BC in Columbia. Gold production in Northern Columbia and Central America earliest evidence dated was between 300 and 400 BC.. How at present the evidence of metal working in Mexico was around 700 AD. It is believe metalworking was introduced into Mexico via the south at a much later stage.

Each different metalworking zone developed its owns styles and different techniques of metal production.

Hammered and repoussed pieces predominate in Peru and Ecuador. Both in stylistic and technical aspects can also be seen in Columbia and the isthmus. Both Areas for example used as IPUK rightly called Tumbaga a copper gold Alloy. 70% Copper and 30% gold in used in some objects. Some more High status object was more purer gold was used.



Mexican metallurgy is really different from the south once once they discovered the process they developed metalworking and style distinctly different from their southern neighbors. Columbia has the greatest variation of metal working processes and styles by various Indian cultures. In Colombian coastal regions in there was influence of the use of platinum. However despite the regional variations there is some events that knowledge of metal working evolved over time with strong mutual contacts that influence one another.

Crow

 

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[Interested Party in UK]

Hi Crow

In my opinion, the best workers of gold and silver were the tribes in present-day Columbia. Their artefacts rally are something to behold and so much gold has been dug there, it makes Peru look poor in some respects. Up until recently, the Gold Museum in Bogota would purchase gold items found/retrieved by people in the mountains and villages. I believe they have 50,000 - 60,000 pieces that are superbly executed. Someday I would like to visit that place and simply try and figure out the story associated with those pieces of history. I think that due to the culture of the tribes that existed then in Columbia, they were often partial to make offerings of gold to 'special' holy caves and lonely mountain shrines, and so many pieces were found simply lying there as the devotee and left it all those centuries ago. They also had a penchant for making offerings to holy lakes. Forget the well-documented Lake Guativita, there is another lake close by that had huge amounts of golden and silver artefacts, along with brilliant emeralds, that were and are being found.

I also recall watching a really informative documentary about a site that was discovered quite by accident by drug-smugglers and then looted of substantial treasures. Alongside the treasures, the village chiefs and nobles had been buried with empty bottles of rum and such like as they had obviously been trading with Europeans!
Archaeologists could only reach the site with an army helicopter and escort, and during excavations found that the small town had probably been living in some isolation away from Spanish authorities and trading with coastal tribes or even European travellers directly, and had suffered a disease outbreak which led to the demise of their community probably in the 18th century. They only got wind of the site when amazing pieces started turning up on the black market and were very different to anything seen before. Even today, they said that it was impossible to guess or estimate exactly how big the site was due to its remote location and environment, and as the jungle there was quite difficult to navigate with being a mountainside location, it was dangerous to stay for extended periods due to the threat posed by smugglers and revolutionaries.

IPUK

 

[Crow]

Hello IPUK

The practice of gold offering was perhaps more wide spread than just Columbia. Even Bolivia and Peru had such shrines. Some small caves, lakes or grottoes other springs various sites to various deities.

One feature commonly found along the Inca Road are Shrines. Shrines along the road vary a great deal. Some are merely piled rock; others are elaborately carved and shaped boulders; and some are the mountains themselves.

There has been at least identified four types of carved rock shrines found along the Inca road.

The first type is carved or fore-grounded rocks as primary trail/road markers, such the major carved rock complex at Kusilluchayoq on the outskirts of Cuzco.

The second type is carved or fore-grounded rocks at places with significant views, such as the seat-like carving.


A third type of shrine is carved or fore-grounded rocks as delimiters of important sites, such as the complex near the estate of Topa Inca [AD 1471-1493] at Chinchero.

And the fourth type is that marking the route of Ceques pilgrimage roads of the Incas that were not built, but rather marked by a series of wayposts.

All of these shine could of one time had gold offerings to various deities of each particular shrine. Various amounts according to the importance of such shrine.

When the conquest happened many of them was either looted or removed to pay the Ransom of Atahulpha. Gold to Inca was not seen as wealth or monetary value but as a sacred object to be offered to various deities. None of these sites would of normally been at risk of being stolen unless captured by a different tribe outside the Inca realm. As the Inca strong belief in their deities to steal offerings must of terrified them. I cannot imagine what they thought when ordered by Atahulpha to desecrate these sites. Surely they must of saw it as end of the world.

Another thing I learned when in Peru the Inca was into Cosmology and around 1533 an astonishing happened there was a slight polar shift of the earth and the Milky way that normally stretched from horizon to horizon changed having one end not touching the horizon. For them with the events of Pizarro, Small pox, desecration of their shines and temples must of been the end of the world for them.

Crow

 

[Interested Party in UK]

Hi Crow

Good points and observations with the above quote.

Yes, the Incas had numerous shrines and holy sites, as did other cultures, but the ones in Columbia were not as looted as the ones elsewhere and that is why huge amounts of gold and silver was/is being discovered. I believe that once the Incas knew what the conquistadors were up to, they removed a fair amount as well, which was then buried, sunk or cached. They did not have many other ways to get their own back against the invaders. When some recently conquered tribes heard of the order from Atahualpa for his ransom and knew of his predicament, they point-blank refused to co-operate.

The Incas must really have felt as if the world (or theirs at least) had ended. When Manco Inca rebelled and fled to Vilcabamba, he managed to still garner huge support and had his warriors and followers organise themselves to the extent that they took back Cuzco - albeit briefly - and slaughtered a fair number of Spanish and their native allies, but there was still some animosity towards the Incas from some warlike tribes who sided with the Spanish and together they overcame the heroic but futile efforts of the remnants of what was once a remarkable empire and its nobility. Many struck deals with the Spanish to become part of the new order and secure themselves a berth.

In the lonely and remote locations, how many 'untouched' caves, shrines, holy sites etc., do think might be left.....?!

IPUK

 

[Crow]

Hello IPUK

Even in the remotest of places people have the tendency to POP out of nowhere. There is still many people living in countryside than the western world, even though there is gradual shift to urban centers. Still some areas could because of remoteness have been abandoned. So not impossible.

Crow

 

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