16,000 years ago, groups of hunters, fishermen and gatherers lived in the hot mid-Magdalena valley and on the slopes of the central and eastern ranges in northern Huila and Tolima provinces. In fact, the earliest evidence of a human presence in Colombia that has been detected by archaeologists so far comes from the Pubenza site, near Girardot. This semi-nomadic way of life was successful for thousands of years, and it was barely 5,000 years ago that some groups turned to agriculture and a sedentary life in villages. Between 1200 B.C. and the time of the Conquest, the Magdalena valley was inhabited by communities of farmers, goldsmiths and potters. Some of these built their settlements on the broad alluvial terraces that this fast-flowing river formed, and took advantage of the resources it offered, such as fish, turtle meat and eggs, and large and small alligators (Caiman crocodylus).

Their goldsmiths have left us figures of insects and small animals cast in gold, some fantastic, others naturalistic. There are fish, lizards, crickets or beings that boast features of various species, like the famous "little planes", which have the head and mouth of a jaguar, the wings of a bird and the tail of a fish.

Goblets, demijohns, twin-spouted earthenware jugs (alcarrazas), pots and three-legged vessels were made, so they could be used as funeral regalia. Their geometric designs pick up certain motifs that are found on gold pendants and breastplates, such as the tail of a feline figure reduced to two dimensions in a typical breastplate.

In Tolima goldwork, the human figure is schematised to differing extents in symmetrical pendants which combine harmony, beauty and order.

The breastplate that was found in the so-called "Dragon's Grave" in Calarcá, Quindío, is a masterpiece in which the human figure is reduced to two dimensions and only the right angle is used, yet there are multiple symmetries: it is nevertheless marvellously full of life, because of the shine and the skilful play of the decorative motifs.

Other pendants and breastplates portray winged human figures with the tails and ears of feline figures and bats: they are fantastic beings in a continuous stream of transformations. Man evokes the power of the bat when he is transformed into one. He acquires the bat's knowledge and habits, in order to make the secrets of life and death clear.

The ways in which the dead were buried varied, depending on the society, social position, and the time that passed after the death occurred. Primary and secondary burials are found in Tolima, near the River Magdalena. Primary burials are tombs with a side chamber or direct well, like the one found on digs in the town of Suárez, Tolima. The tomb of a high-ranking person, it contained shell objects and vessels that had been made specially for the burial, indicating that gold was not the only symbol of power and hierarchy. In secondary burials, the remains were exhumed after a number of years and deposited inside a funerary urn, sometimes with the bones of other people and even of animals.

All along the River Magdalena, it is common to find funerary urns with representations of the human figure, either on the lid or on the main body of the vessel. At sites like Puerto Serviez, Guamo, Colorados and Mayacas, one single tomb could contain up to sixty urns, together with paint rollers and domestic vessels. Another common feature is the human figure that was often portrayed on the backs of the funeral chairs that are found in groups inside the tombs, schematised in a way that does not fail to recall the style of goldwork, and surrounded by amphibians and reptiles.

Tolima and the Gold Museum Exhibition

Pottery in the Magdalena Valley

Man and Bat

Funerary Urns and Secondary Burials