Tairona goldwork combines a technical mastery of casting with love of fine detail. –WARWICK BRAY, THE GOLD OF EL DORADO

Pre-Columbian peoples in South America. Image credit: wikimedia.org

The Tairona people lived in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta area of northern Colombia in South America from around 200 BCE until succumbingto the dominationof the Spanish conquest during the 17th century. Formed from a group of chiefdoms, the Tairona culture peaked during the 11th century with a population ranging from 5,500 to 6,500 persons connected by urban centers and smaller villages. Despite living on a remote mountain range and valley, the Tairona shared the Chibchan language and some cultural traditions with the nearby Muisca people. Trade relationshipswere established with not only the Muisca but also with the Sinú people that resided down the coast.

Known for their functional pottery and stone construction of mountainside dwellings, the Tairona are most recognized for their metallurgy techniques, specifically the use of the gold and copper alloy called tumbaga. A thriving metalsmithing tradition and trade existed in the Tairona cities and villages for tumbaga figurines that were used for deity tributes, burial rituals, and spiritual activities. Coincidentally, Spanish tomb raiders were the first outsiders to admire and value the tumbaga objects found in the resting places of the Tairona’s ancestors.

There are limited sources of information on the pre-Columbian indigenous peoples and their cultures. Their history has been pieced together using archaeological discoveries and anecdotal evidence from the writings by explorers of South America. One such report published in 1530 describes the Tairona valleys as having many inhabitants and fertile fields that used irrigation techniques.

Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City) once occupied by the Tairona people.
Image credit: ancient-wisdom.com

Initial contact with explorers at the beginning of the 16th century causedmany Tairona to relocate to higher elevationsin the mountains. The relationship took a turn when the Spanish attempted to enslave women and children and the Tairona justifiably responded through violence. The Spanish governors learned to use a more diplomatic approach in future dealings and the Tairona were able to resist being dominated.

In 1599 the Tairona people mounted an uprising against the religious indoctrination and economic pressures of the Spanish. Unsuccessful after years of resistance, they were forced into the Spanish Encomienda. The Spanish Encomienda was a forced work arrangement where the conquered labored for the conqueror in exchange for benefits and protection, yet there were few be nefits and little protection. Within 50 years of the uprising the area inhabited by the Tairona was nearly abandoned by this indigenous people.

Today the Chibchan-speaking groups, like the Kogi and Ijka, live in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta area and are believed to be direct descendants of the Tairona people.

Susan Colaricci Sauls, Director of University Art Collections UniversityofSouthernIndiana,Evansville,Indiana