The Purpose of Quimbaya Objects

In many American cultures, sitting on a bench is linked to knowledge and authority, and is reserved for prominent members of the community such as shamans and chiefs.

Inside at least four containers, remains of organic matter were detected. After the analysis of the macroscopic morphology of the recovered fragments, it was determined that they are burnt bone remains.

This container or poporo is shaped like a pumpkin, which in some Amerindian cultures is associated with the feminine. The representations of pumpkins in the Quimbaya group share with the feminine images a higher percentage of copper and a reddish color.

Some figures are difficult to identify. Sometimes they have been described as fantastic beings, although, in this case, they are amphibians. They are represented with a triangular head, large eyes and incisions on the body to indicate the position of the legs.

Frogs are considered messengers of the gods or aquatic spirits, so they are usually present in propitiatory rain rituals. They are associated with beliefs related to fertility and the water cycle.

On the necklaces there are representations of certain animals interpreted as insects, sometimes in the larval state, which symbolize transformation or rebirth. They are shown as hybrid beings presenting anthropomorphic elements and fantastic forms.

Some objects that showed in tombs, such as earmuffs or nose rings, are not the same as those represented in the human figures. These differences may be due to changes in fashion, different chronologies or even representation of people with different ages and ranks.

Sometimes objects are found to have been intentionally modified to render them useless. This is known as “ritual death”. In this collection we find lime sticks with the figurative head crushed or with the stem blunt.

In two of the male anthropomorphic bottles, we can see the cut marks made with a chisel sectioning the elements that they carried in their hands and the mouthpiece of the head. It seems to be the elimination of the attributes of power of one of the chieftains.

Sound is another channel of communication with the spiritual world, and it was surely carried out in specific contexts. In the Quimbaya group there are objects that produce different sounds.