Beyond El Dorado Last Chance to see

Beyond El Dorado 

Until March 23rd in The British Museum

Organised with Museo del Oro, Bogotá, this exhibition explores the rich and diverse cultures of Colombia before the 16th-century arrival of the Spanish.

This is a superb exhibition and a fascinating insight into a rich and mysterious culture who were highly skilled and had a huge respect for nature. If you have the chance go before it is gone!

The myths of El Dorado

For centuries Europeans were dazzled by the legend of El Dorado – literally ‘the golden one’. Many different stories were told of El Dorado – sometimes it was imagined as a lost city of gold, sometimes as a man covered in powdered gold who plunged into the middle of Lake Guatavita (near modern Bogotá). The exhibition uncovers the fascinating truth behind some of these myths. Unlike in Europe, gold was not valued as currency in pre-Hispanic Colombia. Instead it had great symbolic meaning, facilitating all kinds of social and spiritual transformations. It was one way the elite could publicly assert their rank, both in life and in death.

Complex craftsmanship

The exhibition features over 200 fascinating objects from Museo del Oro, Bogotá, and around 100 from the British Museum’s collection. They show technologically advanced and sophisticated goldworking techniques, including the use of an alloy composed of gold and copper, and the use of textiles, feathers, stones and ceramics. These beautiful and detailed works display a level of complex craftsmanship that perfectly marries art and skill, and show the differences in techniques and designs across the region.

Discover ancient Colombia

With a focus on the craftsmanship of peoples we know as the Muisca, Quimbaya, Calima and Tairona, the exhibition presents the complex network of societies in ancient Colombia – a hidden world of distinct and vibrant cultures. The remarkable objects reveal glimpses of these cultures’ spiritual lives, including rituals of hallucinogenic transformation, engagement with animal spirits and objects animated through music, dancing and sunlight.

A unique exhibition

The exhibition uncovers the extraordinary metalworking skill of the peoples of ancient Colombia through a unique collection of objects, some of which are being displayed in the UK for the first time.