Bogota Gold Museum: Experience Millennia of Goldcraft, Culture, and History

The myth of El Dorado, a city entirely built of gold, set off a European “gold rush” in the 16th and 17th centuries. While it didn’t exist, the intricate gold artifacts that kicked off the rumor were real. Today, you can experience that wonder for yourself at the Bogota Gold Museum.

Welcome To Bogota’s Gold Museum

Since ancient times, gold has been used to craft objects of beauty, sacred artifacts, and tools for rituals and trade. The Gold Museum in Bogota, Colombia is the largest collection of pre-European-contact goldcraft artworks: 6,000 pieces on display, and over 55,000 maintained and stored.

The Gold Museum collects artifacts from a diverse range of cultures indigenous to contemporary Colombia—including the Calima, Muisca, Nariño, Simu, Quimbaya, Tayrona, Tolima, and Tierradento cultural groups. The museum also has a room dedicated to cultural goldcraft post-Columbus, and it runs a documentary exploring the complexities and history of the art in the region.

The Gold Museum’s permanent installations are divided into rooms and wings by cultural group, so all artifacts from a given group are displayed together.

Spotlight Attractions

The Flying Chamanic

“The Flying Chamaic” displays the process of a shaman ritual, symbolically representing the people involved and the ritual stages with human figures and sculptures. The human-like figures offer a compelling portrait of spiritual thinkers in the ancient Musica culture.

Quimbaya Catfish

Quimbaya catfish are small, iridescent gold catfish figurines, stylized to reflect their graceful movement through the water. The fins of the figurines resemble those of the armored catfish, native to South America.

The catfish figurines have gained some dubious popularity recently, as the television show Ancient Aliens used them as examples of “evidence” of the conspiratorial thesis that aliens created ancient artifacts, and these were sculptures of “ancient fighter jets.”

Regardless of the root of the sculptures’ popularity, they remain some of the most sought-after pieces in the museum.

Gold Poporos

The Musica and Quimbaya cultures were among those who crafted gold poporos. Poporos were small, lidded objects used to carry lime, which was used to activate stimulants in coco leaves. Since coco leaves were sacred, the object had spiritual significance despite being commonplace.

Archeologists believe the artifacts were widely produced with a lost wax cast.

History

In 1934, Columbia’s central bank, The Bank of the Republic, helped to fund and build the Bogota Gold Museum, with the goals of preserving the nation’s archeological wealth and protecting treasured artworks of its cultural heritage.

The first piece the museum collected and displayed was the Poporo Quimbaya, created in 300 B.C.

In 2008, the museum was renovated, opening new rooms and exhibits.

Part of Caravan’s 10-Day Colombia Tour

Caravan’s all-in-one Colombia tour takes visitors through the beauty and majesty of the nation, where preserved ancient cultural creations stand alongside contemporary arts, from artisan Zocolo murals to bespoke, farm-to-table coffee.

The trip begins in Bogota, and The Bogota Gold Museum is the centerpiece of Day 2. The guided tour allows for hours of exploration of the pieces of gold, precious metals, and shells. Afterward, the tour moves through to the Candelaria District, then stops for lunch.

About Caravan

Caravan has honed an art: crafting unique, all-inclusive adventures for travelers on a budget. Since 1952, we’ve offered affordable tours guided by experts: guaranteed safety, room and dining inclusive, and wholly planned by our professionals.

When you travel, skip the stress. Instead, call one of Caravan’s agents at 1 (312)-321-9800, or call 1-800-CARAVAN, and embark on your next adventure.