Product Description
The collection of the Gold Museum of the Banco de la República de Colombia—one of the most important gold collections in the world—is explored in this anthropological commemoration of goldwork mastery. An essential part of the pre-Colombian world, gold was considered by natives to be a sacred element and was thus used by artisans to create offerings presented by Shamans to the Gods as both prayerful sacrifices and symbols of gratitude. Hundreds of accompanying photographs highlight these masterful golden creations.
About the Author
Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff had a prestigious anthropology career that included working as researcher at the Colombian Anthropology Institute, as director of the Ethnological Institute of the Magdalena region, and director and founder of the anthropology department of the Universidad de los Andes–Bogotá. He was the author of Amazonian Cosmos, Basketry as Metaphor, The Forest Within, Recent Advances in the Archaeology of the Northern Andes, and San Agustin.
