Anthropo-zoomorphous pendant

In the figure of a shamanic dancer, this pendant is made of tumbaga, a gold and copper alloy, with the cire perdue (lost wax) casting method. A model made of beeswax was covered with clay to form a mould, heated to remove the wax while preserving its shape in the mould, and finally transformed into metal by pouring melted metal into the hollow shape. In Conquest times, Spaniards thought that Indian goldsmiths could melt gold with some plants: the proof was that fingerprints could be seen on some objects. The pattern on this pendant seems, however, to be that of a textile used to work the beeswax. EL