Religious silver pendat necklace, Ñapanga de Popayán

Jewlery used by Ñapangas is deeply related with catholic symbology implanted in Popayan since the 16th Century, this type of jewlery was exclusive to Ñapangas, as part of their eye-catching attire to show their wealth and status; the technique used to get their jewelry comes from indigenous filigree tradition of goldsmithing in the region.

This goldsmithing technique was done using a lost wax casting method, a process of making a mold out of wax, then covering it with clay to be burned to get a more resistance clay mold for metals; from this technique indigenous people adapted new technique to make strings out of metals for better details.

During colonial rule, the technique was still used, and got mixed with both African and Spanish techniques of metal casting and goldsmithing, reflecting the mix race origin of the nation in their art and material culture.