As a child I visited the Banco de la Republica's Museo de Oro in
Bogota, Colombia (http://www.banrep.gov.co/museo/home4.htm), which
houses an extensive collection of pre-Columbian gold artwork.  It has
been a long time, but I can still remember the bedazzling effect of
the exhibit; many of the pieces on display were of such intricate
design, and represented a world so different from my own, that I was
reduced to a kind of reverent silence.  While I don't plan to visit
Colombia again, I am interested in locating other collections of
artifacts like these for a possible visit.

Here's my question:  Where are the world's most significant
collections/displays of pre-Columbian gold artifacts?

I'm particularly interested in U.S. locations, but curious about major
collections elsewhere too. A simple list of names with links (if
available) will be acceptable; I can look up the details myself.  I
just need a knowledgeable researcher's help in identifying the real
gems.

Many thanks!

Hi Yreka

Thanks for asking an interesting question that gave me a glimpse of
amazing treasures.

I think you'll want to head for New York.  The Metropolitan Museum
states confidently that,
"The Jan Mitchell Treasury for Precolumbian Works of Art in Gold,
which opened in the South American Gallery in 1993, houses the most
comprehensive display of American gold objects in the world."
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/view1.asp?dep=5&item=1979%2E206%2E538

While you're there, you might also visit the Brooklyn Museum of Art
which has some Peruvian gold:
http://www.brooklynart.org/visit/permanent_collections.html

and the American Museum of Natural History:
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/hall_hilites/hall12.html

An authoritative article on the 'GoldAvenue Encyclopaedia' site names
these New York museums amongst the world's major collections of
pre-Columbian gold:
"What remains of Pre-Columbian gold....is well displayed in museums,
most notably at the Museo del Oro in Bogota, Museo del Oro at the
Banco Central de Costa Rica in San Juan, Museo Nacional in San Juan,
Costa Rica, Museo Nacional del Banco Central del Ecuador in Quito,
Museo de Oro del Peru in Lima, Brooklyn Museum in New York, American
Museum of NaturalHistory in New York, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library
and Collection, Washington DC, Metropolitan Museum of Art (Jan
Mitchell collection), New York, and the British Museum in London."
http://info.goldavenue.com/Info_site/in_arts/in_civ/in_civ_precolumbian.html
(They have a team of five gold experts but don't say who wrote this.)

Also in the US:
Dumbarton Oaks Research Center, Washington DC
http://www.doaks.org/PCWebSite/PCcollection.html

Further south:
Museo del Oro de Peru
Apart from what you've already seen in Bogota, South America's biggest
collection is in Lima but there is little on the net about it. Lists
of Peruvian museums give no website or email, e.g. this directory with
just a mailing address and phone number:
http://www.peru.com/entretenimiento/directorio/museos.asp
I tried some tourist sites for more info but they mostly just confirm
it's a very important collection. "If you only have time for one
museum, this is the one. Room after room of every imaginable item of
gold, sacred to the Inca, Mochica, Chimu, and Nasca peoples." is what
'travelforkids' says:
http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Peru/lima.htm

The two in San Juan, Costa Rica are:
Museo del Oro
http://www.bccr.fi.cr/museos
and
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/9751/antropologica.htm#historica

There are perhaps 1600 artefacts in the Museo del Oro 
http://www.costaricatours.cc/new_page_53.htm

Another major collection is:
Museo Nacional del Banco Central del Ecuador
http://www.bce.fin.ec/museo
( this wasn't working when I tried several times, also tried accessing
it from this list of museums:
http://www.ilam.org/ec/ecua_right.html )

And in England,
The British Museum in London:
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/world/americas/south/south.html

Hope this is useful and that you will be bedazzled again soon.  


You might also like this site I came across with pictures of Inca
gold:
http://www.theincas.com/gold/gold1.htm
Searches started with "pre-columbian gold"+museum
then entered names of collections

---

Clarification of Answer by leli-ga on 22 Jul 2002 16:01 PDT

Forgot to add that you are, of course, welcome to ask if any
clarification is needed.

Fantastic! Thanks for tracking down these breathtakingly beautiful
treasures.  The encyclopedia entry was particularly helpful (refreshed
my memory on the history of these objects) and I appreciate your
attempts to check out all the locations it listed.  Thank you very
much.