Fragment of flat figure of man (tunjo)

This is one of a set of grave goods from a high status grave near Bogota, Colombia. This kind of object is found in large numbers as a votive deposit - an offering to the gods of a human representation rather than a real human sacrifice.

The lower half of the figure is missing. The piece has been made from a flat sheet of gold, with gold wire soldered on to create the detail. The man is shown carrying a spear-thrower in his left hand.

Before the Spanish conquest in the 1500s, high-status graves in many parts of central and south America had large amounts of precious objects. Gold was both a symbol of power and a sacred material.

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