The Quimbaya civilization is a South American civilization, noted for spectacular gold work characterized by technical accuracy and detailed designs. The majority of the gold work is made in tumbaga alloy, with 30% copper, which imparts beautiful color tonalities to the pieces. The Quimbaya inhabited the areas corresponding the modern departments of Quindío, Caldas and Risaralda in Colombia, around the valley of the Cauca river. There is no clear data about when they were initially established; the current best guess is around the first century B.C.

The Quimbaya people reached their apogee during the 4th to 7th century A.D. period known as The Quimbaya Classic. From this period comes the most emblematic piece of this culture: the Poporo Quimbaya (currently exhibited in the Gold Museum). The most frequent designs in the art pieces are anthropomorphic, depicting men and women sitting, with closed eyes and placid expression. There are also many designs of fruits and poporos.

Quimbaya civilization gold poporo and pestle, displayed at the Gold Museum, Bogotá (Colombia)

Most of the retrieved items are part of funeral offerings, found in the inside of sarcophagi made of hollow trunks. The gold represented a sacred metal and the passport for the afterlife. Around the 10th century A.D. the Quimbaya culture disappeared entirely due to unknown circumstances; studies of the archeological items point to an advanced cultural development and the political structure of a cacicazgo with separated groups dedicated to pottery, religion, trade, gold work and war.

See also

Pre-Columbian Civilizations and Cultures
North America North American pre-Columbian cultures
Mesoamerica Mesoamerican pre-Columbian chronology – Capacha – Chichimeca – Cholula – Coclé – Epi-Olmec – Huastec – Izapa – Mixtec – Olmec – Pipil – Shaft tomb tradition&Teuchitlan – Tarascan – Teotihuacán – Tlatilco – Toltec – Totonac – Veracruz – Xochipala – Zapotec
South America South American pre-Columbian chronology – Cañaris – Chachapoya – Chancay – Chavín – Chimu – El Abra – Hydraulic culture of mounds (Bolivia) – Las Vegas – Lima – La Tolita (Tumaco) – Manteño-Guancavilca – Mapuche – Moche – Mollo – Muisca (Chibchas) – Nariño – Nazca – Norte Chico – Quimbaya – San Agustin – Shuar – Sican – Taino – Tairona – Tiwanaku – Tierradentro – Valdivia – Wari
The Aztec Empire The Maya civilization The Inca Empire (Inca civilisation)
Language Nahuatl language Mayan languages Quechua
Writing Aztec writing Mayan writing Quipu
Religion Aztec religion Maya religion Inca religion
Mythology Aztec mythology Maya mythology Inca mythology
Calendar Aztec calendar Maya calendar
Society Aztec society Maya society Inca society
Infrastructure Chinampas Maya architecture Inca architecture (road system) Incan agriculture
History Aztec history Inca history
People Moctezuma I Moctezuma II Cuitlahuac Cuauhtémoc Pacal the Great Tecun Uman Manco Capac Pachacutec Atahualpa Manco Inca
Conquest Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (Hernán Cortés) Spanish conquest of Yucatán (Francisco de Montejo) Spanish conquest of Guatemala (Pedro de Alvarado) Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire (Francisco Pizarro)
See also
Portal:Indigenous peoples of North America – Columbian exchange – Indigenous peoples of the Americas – Mesoamerican writing systems – Native American cuisine – Native American pottery – Population history of American indigenous peoples – Pre-Columbian art – Painting in the Americas before Colonization

Categories: Colombian culture | Andean civilizations | Ethnic groups in Colombia

 

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