20,000 years ago, America was inhabited by hunters and gatherers who had come from the Old World. After settling here, they gradually developed agriculture and came to live in towns and villages.

Metallurgy, which was discovered 3,500 years ago in Peru, spread to the southern coastal areas of Colombia. Metalwork flourished in the Andes and on the coasts from 500 B.C. until the time of the Spanish Conquest. Thousands of objects were made from different metals and in more than a dozen different styles.

Metalwork was common amongst societies with permanent political and religious leaders who ruled over groups of villages. Although they were not states, these chieftainships fed their relatively large populations through efficient agriculture, based around the growing of corn or cassava, and plenty of hunting and fishing. It was because of food surpluses that certain people were able to engage in specialised activities like mining and goldwork.

The metalwork that was produced went to the rulers, who used it to stress their prestige and as a visible sign of their authority. These sacred and symbolic objects expressed a complex philosophy relating to the origin of the world and mankind, one which explained how the universe had evolved and justified social and natural relationships. Ordinary people wore numerous simple ornaments. Metals were also used for making tools and offerings.

Two showcases display archaeological objects from the Andes in Nariño province, in the south of the country, and serve as starting point for a journey through different parts of Colombia in the days before the country was discovered and conquered by Europeans. At the translucent back of the showcase, a hazy silhouette shows how it was the custom amongst the societies of pre-Hispanic America for people to adorn themselves with metal ornaments: a diadem on the forehead, a nose ring, earrings, and necklaces and breastplates on the chest. Two very rusty costumes welcome the visitor: they date from around 500 A.D. They remained buried for 1,500 years in the tombs of the people who wore them during their lifetime and were dressed in them for their journey after death. They are made of copper sheets covered with a very fine layer of cast gold: this unique manufacturing method in Colombia clearly indicates to the expert eye of the archaeologist that the people who made them had contacts with and were influenced by Peru. The dual conception of the world, expressed in the gold, copper and silver objects in the second showcase, is a further cultural tradition of the Andes.