Prehispanic metallurgy and votive offerings in the Eastern Cordillera Colombia

Description

In this work, a sample of 3,001 pre-Columbian metal objects from the central Eastern Cordillera, Colombia (A.D. 600-1500) is described and analysed. The study offers a classification, description and analysis of adornments with respect to their function, iconography, geographic distribution and archaeological context, and describes the metallurgical technology employed in their manufacture. Archaeological and ethnohistorical data is used to interpret the information collected and to propose a new scheme, which considers the existence of three Sub-areas and three Styles within the region. The work then focuses on votive items. A classification system based on the main iconographic attributes of the figures underpins an exploration of their distribution and the associations between types. Finally, the author proposes a new interpretation of votive offerings among the Chibcha-speaking communities of the Eastern Cordillera, based on the dualistic cosmovision which ruled the main iconographic patterns and the distribution and composition of assemblages.