Maria Potes
Professor David E Carney
Latin American Art to 1821
Spring Semester 2013
Quimbaya Term Paper
The artwork I have chosen to write about is the Poporo Quimbaya (e.g. see fig. 1).
As the name says, this piece is the most known of the Poporo artifacts in America, in fact, it's
one of the most recognized in Pre-Columbian arts. It is 23.5 centimeters long and 11.3
centimeter in diameter on the wider portion. It is a three dimensional sculpture made out of
tumbaga, which is a mixture of gold and copper metal. Its patron is unknown due to the fact
that people in today's society stole many of the artifacts from the tombs they were buried in.
This specific artwork was luckily rescued by the Colombian bank, Banco de la Republica, in
order to save history from being destroyed. Because of this, they started a museum devoted
to artifacts of the Pre-Columbian era made out of gold and other metals. This museum is
now called Museo del Oro, meaning The Gold Museum, located in Bogota, which is where
Poporo Quimbaya is now kept. Even though the patron is unknown, it is known that the
Poporo originally came from near the Valle del Cauca River.
(Fig. 1 Picture of Poporo Quimbaya)
This Pre-Columbian art piece was interesting to me, because I was born in Cali,
Colombia and lived about an hour or two away from where the Poporo was found. I grew up
seeing pictures, paintings, coins, and bills of this piece around me (e.g. see fig. 2). Later on,
I went to The Gold Museum and realized that this art piece was real. Over the years, the
Poporo Quimbaya has become an icon for Colombian history. Most Poporos are human-like
figures, making this one special since it doesn’t have any resemblance with a human. This
assignment gave me the opportunity to remember how beautiful I thought the Poporo
Quimbaya was the first time I saw it, and also gave me the chance to learn a little bit more
about my culture.
(Fig.2 Picture of Poporo Quimbaya in Colombian coin)
The Poporo Quimbaya has a smooth, polished surface with minimal lines. The piece
has a dark, golden color all over, with no other color for detailing. It has a narrow beak and
it is topped off with four spheres that appear to be fruit. "...sculpture-like shapes inspired by
fruits and female figures" (Quimbaya and the Gold Museum Exhibition). At the top, it also
holds a needle-like object that goes in and out. The bottom is a perfectly burnished sphere
that sits on a base with a very detailed wiring design. The look of this piece is more modern,
which is why I find it so appealing.
Poporo artifacts represent the Quimbaya culture (Paternina). Most of the them hold a
meaning of power. "In view of their shine, colours, smells and durability, metals like gold,
copper, silver and platinum were highly-favoured materials for making objects full of
meanings associated with the respective societies' view of the world, and were considered to
have special powers" (Cosmological Symbols). The color gold also has the meaning of
power by associating it with the color and shine of the sun. The spheres at the top are
unknown, but they are thought to be native fruit.
Its primary function for the Poporo in the Classic Quimbaya period, was as a device
for holding lime. Lime is used in conjunction with the chewing of coca leaves. The needlelike object at the top was wetted with saliva to extract the lime and make it stick, and then
mixed onto the coca leaf (Sanchez). The chewing of coca leaves was a prestigious practice
during religious ceremonies. It was thought as a way to go into trance. "...they performed
their priestly duties and went on vision quests" (Marriner). The practice of chewing relates
among the Moche of Peru, which they would carry the lime in hollowed gourds (Scott).
Many other artifacts are of Coca-chewers including pottery, ceramics, and wood carvings
(e.g. see fig. 3) .
(Fig. 3 Capuli Coca-chewers)
In conclusion the Poporo Quimbaya has been of great importance to the history of art,
specially the history of Colombia. Because of this piece, Colombia has been able to save
other artworks and learn more about its culture and ancient beliefs. It also gave history the
chance to see a different looking kind of Poporo. Most Poporos are human-like shaped or
just plain, this is one uses what may be native fruit as its iconography. By finding this
Poporo, we are able to learn that Quimbayas were involved in the lime-chewing rituals which
lead us to know they believed in different power status or a hierarchy.
References
"Cosmological Symbols." Banrepcultural.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2013.
<http://www.banrepcultural.org/gold-museum/pre-hispanic-societies/cosmology
/cosmological-symbols>.
Marriner, Harry A. "Colombian Rock Art Motifs: Some Ideas For Interpretation."
Rupestreweb.tripod.com. N.p., 2002. Web. 06 May
2013.<http://rupestreweb.tripod.com/motif.html>.
Paternina, Lizette. "El Poporo Quimbaya: Representante De Oro De La Cultura
Prehispánica Colombiana." Web log post. LingOro.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May
2013. <http://www.lingoro.info/oro/el-poporo-quimbaya-representante-de-oro-de-lacultura-prehispanica-colombiana/1123/>.
"Quimbaya and the Gold Museum Exhibition." BanRepCultural.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May
2013. <http://www.banrepcultural.org/gold-museum/quimbaya-and-thegold-museum-exhibition>.
Sanchez, Efrain. "El Poporo Quimbaya." Semana.com. N.p., 24 July 2006. Web. 04 May
2013. <http://www.semana.com/especiales/articulo/el-poporo-quimbaya/79618-3>
Scott, John F. Latin American Art: Ancient to Modern. Gainesville: University of Florida, 1999.
62-64. Print.