Day 873
Museo del Oro Nariño
We had chosen Medellin over Bogota to break our journey back in April and in doing so had missed the chance of visiting the world famous gold collection that is on display in a museum there. So, as we are in Pasto for a short while we decided to visit the gold museum here. The museum’s collection was started by Banco de la República in 1939 and is still displayed inside the bank to this day. It contains thousands of artefacts used by the different groups of people who lived in what is now known as Colombia from 2,500 years ago until the time of the European Conquest.
From simple pottery, tools, children’s toys, jewellery to stunning objects made in gold showcasing the amazing skills of these people and so much about their lifestyles, the display cabinets were full. The walls were lined with information about the people who created these objects and the history of Colombia.
We were particularly thrilled to see a whole room dedicated to the tradition of making Mola. We had fallen in love with this artwork back in the San Blas islands and it was great to learn more about the history of Mola and see so many beautiful examples. As so often in Colombia, entry was free, information panels were in Spanish and English and so we were able to fully understand all about what we were seeing. A great day out!
