by Reina Lopez and Connie Kent, photos by Reina
Reina moved to the US from Colombia in 1969. For many years she received Pre-Columbian jewelry gifts from friends and family, to help her remember her dear land. She has beautiful replicas from different cultures.
She didn´t realize she had collected so many pieces during these years. It made her curious to learn about their culture and their meaning.
The term “Pre-Columbian art” refers to the architecture, art and crafts of the native peoples of North, Central, South America, and the islands of the Caribbean from c.13000 BCE – 1500 CE up to the time period marked by the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.
The replicas Reina has are made of copper and gold bath. They belong to different Pre-Columbian cultures within Colombia.
Zenú Culture
The Zenú culture existed from about 200 BCE to about 1600 CE in Colombia. The Zenú are known for their waterworks and their gold ornaments. Semi-filigree, which was not woven with gold thread but cast using the lost wax method, was the characteristic feature of the decoration of Zenú goldwork. This symbolism is reflected in the patterns of fishing nets.
Muisca culture
The Muisca are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in Colombia. At the time of the Spaniard invasion, the area had a large population with an economy based on agriculture, salt mining, trading, metalworking, and manufacturing. They made zoomorphic figurines based on the fauna of the area. The main animals used for their figures were frogs and serpents. Frogs and toads were important animals in the Muiscan concept of nature and the relation with the spiritual world.
Aztec culture (gift from Mexican friends)
The Aztec culture flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. Jewelry makers used turquoise and other gemstones to honor their gods. Aztec jewelry was shaped by craftsmen who learned their skills during childhood and dedicated their lives to their craft. Jewelry was made with a wide variety of materials, and usually more than one type of material went into one piece. Sheets of hammered copper or gold were used extensively in Aztec jewelry, but silver was also commonly used.
Aymara culture
Archaeologists have found evidence that the Aymaras have occupied the Andes, in what is now western Bolivia for at least 800 years (or more than 5,000 years, according to some estimates).
Balsas de Totora are small rowed and straddled vessels, which are known to have existed for at least 3,000 years. The Aymara built the boats with bundled dried plant reeds used for fishing in Lake Titicaca.
