9 Sept
We did the two major tourist attractions in Bogota today. First stop was the parking lot by the funicular up to Monserrate. We rode the train up and I didn't remember the long tunnel. There were some clouds, but the view from 10,000+ feet is still great when you can see the valley where Bogota is. We walked around some, and I'm happy to say everybody was sucking in the Oxygen, the locals included. Unfortunately the gondolas were closed due to maintenance, so we had to go back down on the funicular. It would have been nice to get a different perspective, but we understand the need for maintenance as well.
From Monserrate, Maria Helena drove us to the Museo del Oro. The Gold Museum has a large collection of pre-Colombia gold, as well as presenting an in depth history of metallurgy in the Western Hemisphere. The collection of gold, silver, platinum and copper figurines is impressive, and left one wonder how much bigger the collection could have been if the Conquistadors didn't melt down all the precious metals they stole from the vanquished. The two big famous items in the collection are the Coca jug and El Dorado. The lake raft of El Dorado is about postcard size, but the detail and the way it was made are fascinating to me. The majority of the gold work in the museum is hammered or using the "lost wax technique." This technique requires the formation of a mold in beeswax and then the gold is poured inside the mold and the wax melts away (therefor the mold and wax are lost.) Instead of writing more, I think I'll just upload pictures.
We did the two major tourist attractions in Bogota today. First stop was the parking lot by the funicular up to Monserrate. We rode the train up and I didn't remember the long tunnel. There were some clouds, but the view from 10,000+ feet is still great when you can see the valley where Bogota is. We walked around some, and I'm happy to say everybody was sucking in the Oxygen, the locals included. Unfortunately the gondolas were closed due to maintenance, so we had to go back down on the funicular. It would have been nice to get a different perspective, but we understand the need for maintenance as well.
From Monserrate, Maria Helena drove us to the Museo del Oro. The Gold Museum has a large collection of pre-Colombia gold, as well as presenting an in depth history of metallurgy in the Western Hemisphere. The collection of gold, silver, platinum and copper figurines is impressive, and left one wonder how much bigger the collection could have been if the Conquistadors didn't melt down all the precious metals they stole from the vanquished. The two big famous items in the collection are the Coca jug and El Dorado. The lake raft of El Dorado is about postcard size, but the detail and the way it was made are fascinating to me. The majority of the gold work in the museum is hammered or using the "lost wax technique." This technique requires the formation of a mold in beeswax and then the gold is poured inside the mold and the wax melts away (therefor the mold and wax are lost.) Instead of writing more, I think I'll just upload pictures.
Is it maybe twenty times larger than when we were there?
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of gold! Such exquisite pieces! Did they have names or explanations of what they were. There was one that appeared to be a mask. If so, I can't imagine that weight of it. That goes for the necklaces, too.
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