Muisca raft - Knowledge

708:. The process began when the Muisca craftsperson created a wax model in the desired shape of the object, using beeswax harvested from the region. The beeswax was worked into two basic shapes: flat sheets from which geometric shapes could be cut out, such as for the figure’s torso; and threads of rolled beeswax, as thin as 1 mm (0.039 in), that could be used for coils and adornments, including finer details such as the eyes or feathers. These constructions reveal great skill on the part of the artisan — the components are highly uniform with few mistakes. The only signs of finger work occur on the bottom of the raft where elements of the design were pressed into the soft base. Each of the wax figures was likely created as a separate piece before being fused together into the ensemble, perhaps by using a warm tool. In addition to the intended design, the artisan added wax feeders allowing for the flow of molten gold. 648: 712:

meant to dangle, such as earrings, do not become fused together during casting. The artisan showed great skill in filling these cracks without breaking or warping the soft beeswax. For repeated elements, such as in a string of beads or pendants, the Muisca used stone matrices — blocks that have a figure carved in relief — to aid with the building of the wax template; this ensured some uniformity in the repeated element. The mould was built in successive layers, and the artisan may have increased the ratio of clay to charcoal and also increased the grain size of the mixture as the mould grew in size — to improve its structural integrity. The only portion of the wax model that was not covered was a small opening near the bow of the raft where the molten gold would later be poured in.

307: 381: 31: 716:

to several hundred degrees to allow the smooth flow of molten gold into all the cracks and details before hardening; it also helped protect against fracture from cooling too fast. The final step in the casting was to hammer open the mould, revealing a perfect copy of the beeswax figurine, this time in gold. However, the Muisca raft did have issues during the casting process—a fracture developed at the base of the piece, resulting in a large portion of the raft’s base, which was meant to be a crisscross of openwork, showing a thin, solid gold sheet instead.

697: 180: 4108: 292:, a gold alloy containing as much as 70% copper, whereas in other regions gold was hammered into the desired shape. Furthermore, the Muisca objects are identifiable by their rough surfaces in comparison to the polished gold in surrounding regions. Muisca art tended to include components that referred back to the raw material used in their own construction; for example, a statue who is depicted to be holding, in pouches, the substance from which it is made. 2324: 830: 2564: 2338: 769:, or a basket for carrying royalty using human muscle power. The piece depicts the human with closed eyes and an elongated mouth showing the teeth. The larger ceramic piece was 25.8 cm (10.2 in) high by 31.5 cm (12.4 in) wide, is made of fine paste, and was covered by a red slip. The smaller, rounded vessel was well constructed and finished with a smooth surface and buff. 839:

a great notch—still prominent in the landscape—into the mountain on one side of the lake and lowered the water level by about sixty feet. Countless gold objects, and other offerings, including an emerald the size of a hen’s egg, were recovered from the edges of the lake bed. Several expeditions followed, but the central zone of the lake remains untouched.

357:; subsequent descriptions are elaborations upon these six accounts. While the story was embellished with each telling, every version had several details in common, such as the lake and the gold dust. It is also known that the Muisca venerated lakes. Jennings details the ceremony as it occurs in one telling: 764:

The offering that contained the Muisca raft was placed in a cave in the side of a hill, known as La Campana, located between Lázaro Fonte and El Retiro streets in the Pasca municipality, Cundinamarca. The offering contained three other artifacts, including a smaller gold work, two ceramics (including

838:

In the centuries since the conquest countless lives and great fortunes have been lost in attempts to recover the treasures. The most serious effort was undertaken at the end of the sixteenth century by a wealthy merchant from Santa Fe de Bogota who, with the help of eight thousand local workmen, cut

804:

The message of a Muisca offering was more important than the display. In the case of the Pasca offering containing the Muisca raft, it is likely that it was a response to current political tensions among various chiefdoms in the region. In a time of tension, the raft offering may have been an effort

772:

Muisca offerings were common, and varied across time and place. Offerings included human gold effigies, ceramics, emeralds, hair, blood, and animal skulls; and were deposited in lakes, caves, and behind waterfalls. The purpose of the offering was to gain favor with a deity in hopes they will provide

715:

Once the clay and charcoal mould dried and hardened, the artisan applied heat to melt the beeswax, and allowed it to run out of the opening, creating a figurine-shaped cavity in the clay. This was the only mould used to cast the Muisca raft. Just prior to the actual casting, the mould was pre-heated

486:

The remaining ten figures that surround the cacique, while all much smaller than him, can be grouped into three sizes: two larger figures standing in the front and center of the raft; two medium sized seated figures that surround them; and six smaller standing figures. The two large figures in the

361:

The El Dorado tale derives from the investiture ceremony of the Muisca rulers. The new chief was coated in gold dust and taken on a raft to the center of the sacred Lake Guatavita. At sunrise, when the light struck his golden body, the chief would dive into the lake, thus washing the gold off, and

755:

or packing it in salt, which reacts with the silver and copper contained in the alloy, but does not react with the gold. The result is a piece with a higher purity of gold on the surface than in the center of the object; the process can be adjusted to yield a variety of surface colorations of the

388:

The Muisca raft is a small votive offering made from an alloy of gold, silver, and copper. It measures 19.5 cm (7.7 in) long, by 10.2 cm (4.0 in) wide, by 10.1 cm (4.0 in) high. The raft contains eleven human figures — a central, large seated figure representing the

711:

The wax figurine was then thoroughly covered in a wet, equal mixture of fine charcoal and clay, in order to form a mould. For the casting process to succeed, it was necessary to pack the wet mixture around the wax, being careful to fill every crevice thoroughly, ensuring that components that are

589:

The uniformity of the figures suggest that the raft was created by a single, highly trained artisan. Researchers have applied radiocarbon dating to remnants of charcoal that were left on the raft by the casting mould; the tests yielded a date of 1295–1410 AD for the raft’s construction. Using

473:

were locked in houses from a young age and when they emerged years later, they pierced their ears and wore gold nose pendants to indicate their new status. Nose pendants were among the most detailed and ornate items in Muisca goldworking. The duho is also associated with the chief, and it is

425:

examination did not reveal any joint anywhere on the raft; the piece, and every ornamental detail, including dangling gold decorations, was created in a single pour of gold. The manufacturing process was intensive; the entire process, from shaping a beeswax template to breaking the mould and

606:; one from Pasca, the subject of this article, and another from Siecha, which was lost. The Siecha raft was the first to be discovered, and it aided in the discovery of the Pasca raft. In 1856, two brothers from Siecha by the names of Joaquín and Bernardino Tovar partially drained a nearby 780:, or priest, and sometimes it was placed by a layperson. According to Spanish accounts, the offerings were made to gain favor with a deity, and indeed each shrine was associated with a distinct god that heard specific concerns. Uribe Villegas details the account of one Spanish chronicler: 230:

needed to create their signature gold pieces. For those raw materials, they bartered with neighboring peoples. Because the Muisca were an egalitarian people, gold was not concentrated in the hands of few. Instead, all Muisca families decorated their doors and windows with gold objects.

333:, detailed in the Legend of El Dorado, in which a new king covered his entire body in gold dust, floated on a raft to the center of a lake, and threw large quantities of gold votive offerings into the lake. The legend of El Dorado emerged from six accounts, three by the chroniclers 756:

metal. The Muisca generally did not do much else in the way of finishing their gold work, and the Muisca raft followed that trend. There was no effort to fix casting errors, and the surface remained unpolished; charcoal remnants from the mould were left in crevices on the figures.

366:

However, some experts doubt that the El Dorado depicted in the legend represents the ceremony at Lake Guatavita. The city of El Dorado probably never existed, but El Dorado the Golden Man has a foundation in historical truth; El Dorado probably referred to the ruler of the Muisca.

618:. However, when the artifact arrived in the port of Bremen it was destroyed in a fire. Nevertheless, through reverse engineering, a group from Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES), in Bogotá, Colombia, recreated the Siecha raft in gold and identified a plausible casting process. 667:

zones in which one or more resources were lacking in each locale, which encouraged trade. Ethnographic studies reveal trade networks in the highlands of Colombia connecting it to surrounding regions, and Spanish language sources confirm that these networks extended to the

621:

A century later, in 1969, a peasant from Pasca by the name of Cruz María Dimaté found several pieces of gold and ceramics in a cave, and described them to Father Jaime Hincapié Santamaría, a parish priest. The priest showed Dimaté a drawing of the Siecha raft in a book by

688:. Local traders moved materials between the gold mining regions and the gold-working regions, in which finished products were exchanged for raw gold. Muisca artisans used gold alloys with a variety of different compositions, resulting in a wide range of colourations. 825:

ever witnessed the ceremony, its legend enticed Europeans, who desired gold to pay for their ships, weapons, and horses, and, they hoped, for personal riches. As a result, adventurers have attempted to recover more artifacts. Heidi King describes such efforts:

420:

The surface of the piece is unpolished and appears crude in comparison to Muisca jewelry, but like other votive offerings, the Muisca raft was not intended to be decorative but rather a symbolic offering; the appearance of this piece was typical for its use.

847:

found large quantities of gold in Lake Guatavita. When searching for treasure in the lake became too costly, they took gold pieces directly from the Muisca in their villages. The stolen artifacts were melted into ingots and doubloons, which

746:

word meaning ‘copper’, and the composition of the alloy was especially chosen by the Muisca craftsperson for each votive offering piece. The depletion gilding process works on the principle that gold is resistant to

594:, researchers have identified the “chemical signature” of the gold used in the Muisca raft, and concluded that it came from the lowlands near the banks of the Magdalena river where people still pan for gold today. 859:

like the Muisca raft. As part of Colombia’s historical and cultural heritage plan, the government placed Lake Guatavita under legal protection in 1965. The Muisca raft, together with a large collection of other

2225: 143:), who was aboard a raft and covered with gold dust, tossed gold objects into the lake as offerings to the gods, before immersing himself into the lake. The figure was created between 1295 and 1410 AD by 469:

The main figure’s importance is apparent from his size and his richly adorned body. The nose pendant is also significant in identifying the chief; according to one Spanish chronicler, future

765:

a large offering vessel and a smaller vessel); it may have also included a feline skull that has been lost. The smaller gold work was also a lost-wax casting depicting a human sitting in a

284:, were not worn as clothing or jewelry, but instead were used for symbolic purposes. They were often small enough to hold in the hand; sometimes as small as 1.5 cm (0.59 in). The 809:. The raft itself was time consuming and produced to a high quality, as were the other objects in the offering. The offering vessel itself is one of the largest known from the Muisca. 2810: 438:, is naked, seated, and folds his arms over his chest in a W pattern, a common feature in Muisca gold pieces. He wears a large rectangular nose pendant, adorned with bird heads and 700:

Pendant with bird. Muisca, 10th–16th C., cast gold alloy. Metropolitan Museum of Art. This object illustrates the fine detail of the casting and the unpolished surface of the gold.

2777: 2145: 2834: 2907: 2900: 773:

healing; or to bless a marriage, harvest, building, or ceremony. Offerings may also have been associated with political power, as various chiefdoms vied for power.

704:

To create their gold pieces, the Muisca used a method called lost-wax casting. The manufacturing process itself was likely part of the ritual associated with these

362:

would emerge as a human ruler born from the divine golden sun. Music, shouting, and then tossing of large quantities of gold into the lake accompanied the ceremony.

278:

Muisca gold pieces are distinct from those of other Pre-Columbian peoples, in terms of their use, manufacture, and appearance. The Muisca votive offerings, called

163:. Since its discovery in 1969, the Muisca raft has become a national emblem for Colombia and has been depicted on postage stamps. The piece is exhibited at the 4005: 4052: 2893: 2055:

Rueda, Natalia Andrea; Escobar, Jairo Arturo (2017). "Reconstruction of the lost Muisca Siecha raft pouring process by reverse engineering methodology".

3323: 3723: 805:

to “reinforce the prestige of a leader in a circumstantial situation”. It is likely that the raft was commissioned by a powerful person such as the

255:, and Colombia—emerged as a single goldworking region that shared styles and methodology, such as the use of lost-wax casting instead of hammering. 2536: 299:

Muisca goldworking influenced a wide region. Local copies of Muisca votive figurines have been found as far away as the Linea Vieja region on the

4027: 3755: 2767: 3194: 3162: 2748: 2024: 4142: 3780: 2264: 833:

Lake Guatavita with prominent notch cut into its side. The lake was partially drained in the late 16th century by treasure hunters.

303:

slope of Costa Rica. Some of these design traditions remained unchanged for 1,000 years and were prominent at the time of contact.

3985: 2851: 2431: 511:. The smaller six figures are positioned around the perimeter of the raft and each wears a headdress and carries a small stick. 499:

next to their waist. The two medium-sized figures flank the larger two, and wear a coiled headdress possibly meant to represent

3830: 626:, and Dimaté confirmed its similarity to the newly found raft. Father Santamaría arranged for the object to be acquired by the 210:. While most Muisca villages had a chief and priests, the Muisca were generally an egalitarian agricultural people. They made 2883: 647: 3495: 3102: 4037: 4019: 796:, the rainbow, to whom one should offer figurines of “low karat gold”, was the god of childbirth. Among the many gods, 405:-patterned central support structure, with wire coils around the perimeter. Like most Muisca goldworking, there are no 864:, are held at the Gold Museum in Bogotá. The museum’s director, archaeologist Maria Alicia Uribe Villegas, as well as 4062: 3683: 3622: 2187: 2134: 2045: 2391: 3933: 2706: 2084:

Sparavigna, Amelia Carolina (2016). "Depletion Gilding: An Ancient Method for Surface Enrichment of Gold Alloys".

4042: 4032: 3750: 2985: 627: 3913: 306: 3610: 2378: 1913: 1879: 1790: 120: 275:; this symbolic use from the outset established a precedent for metalworking throughout the region’s history. 3948: 873: 615: 3938: 3688: 3637: 1996:

Martinon-Torres, Marcos; Uribe-Villegas, Maria Alicia; Saenz-Samper, Juanita; Lobo-Guerrero, Jimena (2017).

4137: 4075: 3642: 3481: 3745: 474:

significant that none of the figures that surround the central figure face him—a sign of reverence to the

2424: 1958:"The prehistoric individual, connoisseurship and archaeological science: The Muisca goldwork of Colombia" 426:

revealing the gold piece, likely required hundreds of hours of work undertaken by a single craftsperson.

4085: 3652: 3740: 3703: 3678: 2819: 800:, the main deity, was lord of chiefs and captains, and, like Chibchacum, received only gold offerings. 4080: 3943: 1800: 380: 4147: 4047: 2691: 3883: 3878: 3657: 3413: 2762: 1041: 3305: 3111: 3029: 2553: 2543: 2402: 2208: 2171: 2118: 1852: 1825: 354: 3693: 3662: 2285: 2216: 2179: 1860: 1833: 1672: 1670: 1029: 198:

The Muisca people, also known as the Chibcha, were situated at 9000 ft elevation in the eastern

3908: 3873: 2417: 2126: 1755: 4070: 3928: 3868: 3760: 3149: 788:, of the Bogotá province, was the god of merchants, goldsmiths, peasants, and wealthy people; 631: 79: 4152: 3918: 3903: 3119: 1716: 1714: 1689: 1687: 1685: 1667: 1657: 1655: 1586: 1584: 1582: 1545: 1543: 1541: 1539: 1526: 1524: 1509: 1487: 1485: 1483: 1468: 1434: 1432: 1417: 1290: 1288: 1286: 1237: 1235: 1222: 1220: 3708: 3124: 2755: 2583: 2198: 2161: 1842: 1815: 1642: 1640: 1271: 1156: 1154: 1152: 1150: 1148: 1053: 3893: 3237: 2973: 2506: 2363: 2144:

Uribe-Villegas, María Alicia; Martinón-Torres, Marcos; Quintero-Guzmán, Juan Pablo (2021).

2108: 1969: 3853: 1726: 1711: 1699: 1682: 1652: 1579: 1536: 1521: 1480: 1456: 1429: 1378: 1312: 1300: 1283: 1259: 1247: 1232: 1217: 868:

Marcos Martinón-Torres, have applied modern techniques to study and preserve over 80 such

8: 4132: 3963: 3863: 3858: 2716: 2476: 2373: 2153:

Pre-Columbian Central America, Colombia, and Ecuador : toward an integrated approach

1894: 1637: 1625: 1145: 655:

The Muisca bartered their salt, emeralds, and cotton cloth to obtain the gold needed for

614:. It was in the hands of diplomat Salomón Koppel who sold it to a museum in Germany, the 611: 342: 338: 334: 164: 1973: 1121: 3795: 3647: 3134: 2598: 2563: 2471: 2245: 2093: 2072: 1944: 1903: 849: 591: 350: 311: 3898: 2635: 1995: 3565: 3537: 3129: 3062: 2868: 2795: 2249: 2183: 2130: 2076: 2041: 1909: 1875: 1869: 1786: 865: 725: 244: 127:. The piece probably refers to the gold offering ceremony described in the legend of 3838: 3735: 3698: 3047: 2743: 2226:"Composition, colour and context in Muisca votive metalwork (Colombia, AD 600–1800)" 610:, and found a votive raft that they associated with the ceremony referred to in the 159:. The raft was part of an offering that was placed in a cave in the municipality of 52:

19.5 cm (7.7 in) x 10.2 cm (4.0 in) x 10.1 cm (4.0 in)

30: 3923: 3504: 3215: 3201: 2521: 2516: 2486: 2237: 2212: 2203: 2175: 2166: 2122: 2113: 2064: 2009: 1977: 1936: 1856: 1847: 1829: 1820: 822: 766: 144: 100: 3139: 2726: 2068: 4111: 3848: 3343: 2578: 2531: 2526: 2491: 2329: 696: 346: 240: 108: 3157: 2772: 2701: 1780: 3843: 3713: 3583: 3555: 3545: 3517: 3512: 3169: 2949: 2736: 2548: 2501: 2496: 2368: 2343: 1805: 877: 751:

whereas other metals are not. The piece is treated by coating the surface with

743: 651:

Colombian emerald. The Muisca traded salt, emeralds, and cotton cloth for gold.

207: 134: 3953: 2241: 1981: 4126: 3968: 3958: 3790: 3730: 3573: 3444: 2925: 2593: 2351: 818: 681: 623: 112: 2143: 1957: 1732: 1720: 1705: 1693: 1676: 1661: 1646: 1631: 1590: 1549: 1530: 1491: 1474: 1462: 1438: 1423: 1384: 1318: 1306: 1294: 1277: 1265: 1253: 1241: 1226: 1160: 944: 942: 243:

by the first centuries AD and was spiritually and symbolically important to

3550: 3527: 3522: 3348: 3179: 3174: 3037: 2919: 2800: 2721: 2613: 2511: 1613: 855:

Today, protections are in place to preserve the Muisca heritage, including

724:

When the casting was complete, the artisan may have treated the piece with

256: 179: 3258: 2643: 507:— a gourd-shaped flask that contained the lime that was chewed along with 3888: 3785: 3578: 3263: 3253: 3184: 3087: 2731: 2711: 939: 508: 3473: 3333: 2658: 454:, two ear pendants, and three others around the body. He is seated on a 3995: 3718: 3454: 3439: 3092: 3077: 3067: 2858: 2481: 1948: 1924: 789: 785: 732:

of gold on the surface of the object. Colombian gold was combined with

422: 248: 3082: 2648: 1353: 1351: 1349: 1347: 1345: 1343: 1341: 1339: 995: 993: 3449: 3268: 3231: 3189: 3072: 2914: 2357: 2025:"From Alabama to Colombia: The Legend of El Dorado and Inaugural Day" 793: 748: 443: 439: 410: 324: 129: 3431: 3338: 3042: 2846: 1940: 168: 3377: 3372: 3364: 2625: 2098: 2014: 1997: 1336: 990: 829: 729: 685: 677: 660: 451: 402: 330: 300: 272: 219: 215: 116: 83: 3399: 3391: 3057: 2841: 797: 738: 664: 496: 463: 458:(a small chair with a high backrest), and leaning backwards. The 414: 393:, surrounded by ten smaller figures, representing attendants and 227: 211: 3459: 2961: 2888: 2588: 2440: 2107:

Toquica, Constanza; Cruz, Juan Pablo; Torres, Anamaría (2003).

733: 607: 566: 549: 500: 406: 394: 268: 260: 252: 193: 156: 152: 3052: 2036:

Pillsbury, Joanne; Richter, Kim; Potts, Timothy, eds. (2017).

1956:

Martinón-Torres, Marcos; Uribe-Villegas, María Alicia (2015).

672:

territories. Barter between the highlands and coast exchanged

183:

Muisca territory and nearby peoples within modern-day Colombia

3359: 3318: 2653: 2619: 2608: 2304: 1955: 1761: 1109: 1070: 1068: 948: 844: 447: 293: 279: 203: 199: 160: 124: 69: 413:, adorned on the front side with wire-like details and gold 3426: 2309:. Vol. 2. Scott Publishing Company. 2016. p. 508. 1368: 1366: 752: 673: 669: 603: 532: 492: 398: 264: 223: 148: 139: 1733: