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Tairona Civilization
The Tairona civilization - one of the Chibcha family tribes - flourished in northern Colombia between 200 CE and 1600 CE. Like the Muisca of Cundinamarca, the Tairona were known for their expertise in crafting and metallurgy, especially goldsmithing...

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The Gold of the Conquistadors
The staggering quantity of gold the conquistadors extracted from the Americas allowed Spain to become the richest country in the world. The thirst for gold to pay for armies and gain personal enrichment resulted in waves of expeditions of...

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The Megalithic Funerary Art of San Agustín
Beginning approximately 2000 years ago, in a rugged stretch of southwestern Colombia where the Andes split into multiple ranges and the mighty Magdalena River is born, a people created a collection of magnificent ritual and burial monuments...

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Colombian Gold Snail Shell
Gold snail shell, 100 BCE - 1000 CE. Restrepo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. 14,8 x 30 cm (5.8 x 11.8 inches). Museo del Oro / The Gold's Museum (Bogota, Colombia).

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The Mayan Pantheon: The Many Gods of the Maya
The pantheon of the Maya is a vast collection of deities worshipped throughout the regions of Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in Mexico and southward through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. These gods informed...

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The Mongol Invasion of Europe
The Mongol invasions of Russia and Eastern Europe occurred first with a brief sortie in 1223 CE and then again in a much larger campaign between 1237 CE and 1242 CE. The Mongols, seemingly coming from nowhere and quickly gaining a reputation...

Definition
Spanish Main
The Spanish Main refers, in its widest sense, to the Spanish Empire in the Americas from Florida in the north to the northern coast of Brazil in the south, including the Caribbean. The term was initially more limited and referred only to...

Definition
Chimu Civilization
The Chimu civilization, otherwise called the kingdom of Chimor, flourished on the northern coast of Peru between the 12th and 15th centuries CE. With their capital at Chan Chan, the Chimu were the largest and most prosperous culture in the...

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Poporo Quimbaya
Poporo is a device used by indigenous cultures in present and pre-Columbian South America for storage of small amounts of lime. It is constituted by two pieces: the receptacle, and the lid which includes a pin that is used to carry the lime...

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Gold Staff Finial, Zenu Culture
A gold staff finial made by the Zenúes, a people who belonged to the Zenú tribe of ancient Colombia. It features an owl on the edge with a majestic crest, polished golden wings and false filigree openwork on its chest. Distinctive features...