Quimbaya
people
Quick Summary
lime container
Lime container (poporo), gold, Quimbaya culture, Colombia, 1st–7th century; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. The poporo was used in pre-Columbian ceremonies involving the chewing of coca leaves with lime powder. The powdered lime stored in these bottles was produced by grinding heated seashells.
The Quimbaya were an extinct people who lived in western Colombia. They spoke a language that is likely Cariban.1
The Quimbaya people are known for their magnificent gold jewelry, particularly from the upper Cauca River region. Their artistry, along with that of other pre-Columbian cultures in the Andes, was highly developed, with gold worked on its own or in alloys. While the Spanish conquest led to the melting down of many gold objects, surviving pieces reveal a high degree of technical skill and artistic importance.2
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