If you’re wondering what you can’t miss in Colombia, Bogotá’s Gold Museum is certainly at the top of the list!
For us, it’s the most beautiful museum in Colombia, and one you absolutely must not miss. It’s a museum you can visit again and again, so beautiful is its museography and so rich is its information on pre-Columbian history.
It’s a museum that, as well as being educational, leaves a lasting impression. Discovering the incredible work of pre-Hispanic goldsmiths is an experience in itself!
As you can see, for us, the Museo del oro of Bogota is not just a must-see in Bogotá, it’s a must-see in Colombia!
Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.
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What is the Bogota Gold Museum?
Museo del oro, a Must-see in Bogota
The Gold Museum is an institution created by the Central Bank of Colombia (Banco de la República de Colombia). Its aim is to acquire, preserve and exhibit gold and ceramics from the many pre-Columbian civilizations that inhabited modern-day Colombia.
The story goes that, in 1939, the Bank of the Republic decided to create a collection when it acquired its first piece (a Poporo from the Quimbaya civilization).
This year marked the beginning of a major program to recover archaeological artefacts scattered across the country, the discovery of which had previously been left to grave robbers and the underground market.
Since 2002, it has no longer been possible for anyone in Colombia to buy or sell archaeological objects.
With almost 60.000 pieces (in gold, stone, ceramics, fabrics, etc.), Bogotá’s Gold Museum boasts the world’s largest collection of pre-Columbian gold and silverware, from civilizations in every region of the country: Uraba, Choco, Muisca, Tairona, Zenu, Quimbaya, Tolima, San Agustin, Tierrandentro, Calima, Tumaco, Nariño…
Only around 8.000 of the 60.000 pieces available are on public display, but that’s a staggering number.
The exhibition halls
The Gold Museum opened its doors to the public in 1959. In 2008, after 10 years of renovation, the “new” Bogotá Gold Museum was inaugurated, offering a more modern and educational museography.
The museum is divided into five exhibition halls:
- El trabajo de los metales“: describes the techniques used to extract and manufacture gold in pre-Columbian times.
- The“La gente y el oro en la Colombia prehispánica” room: contextualizes the role of gold, metals and goldsmithing in the political and religious organization of pre-Columbian civilizations.
- The“Cosmología y simbolismo” room: looks at mystical themes, the cosmology of different ancient civilizations and the symbolism of the objects on display.
- The“La ofrenda” room: a unique experience depicting the offering ceremony through visual and sound effects on a wall covered with goldsmith’s and silversmith’s pieces.
- El exploratorio“: an interactive room showcasing Colombia’s heritage and the diversity of its people.
Our opinion of the Gold Museum
Museo del oro, a Must-see in Bogota
While Angélica had already visited it several times, I, Samuel, had been waiting for just the right opportunity to finally discover the Gold Museum. And I can say that the visit lived up to expectations.
Nothing prepares you for the explosion of beauty, cultural richness, craftsmanship and symbolic value of Bogotá’s Gold Museum!
As soon as you enter, the tone is set. The museum is beautiful, modern and the scenography is entirely focused on highlighting pre-Columbian heritage. What struck me and what I particularly liked was that this museum puts the importance and power of pre-Hispanic civilizations back at the heart of Colombian history.
Here, at last, is a place where the colonial heritage is consigned to the closet to make way for pre-Columbian civilizations. The indigenous populations take all the limelight, and it’s fitting to say so, as this museum explodes with golden light!
And it’s dizzying.
And it reinforces the rage rumbling deep inside.
The ignominy of Spanish colonization.
When you visit the Gold Museum, you can’t help but be impressed by the splendor of the objects on display. And when you consider that some of them date back more than 2,500 years, you can’t help but be impressed by the cultural and spiritual wealth of these peoples, who lived for centuries on these lands before the Europeans came and wiped them out.
From room to room, you pass from beauty to beauty, but of course, certain iconic pieces jump out at you… like the feminine Poporo, the Quimbaya woman’s ornaments or the Tolima pectoral… these ornaments reserved for caciques (chiefs) come to life thanks to the staging around a human silhouette. And of course the famous Muisca raft, the ultimate symbol of the madness of the “El Dorado” myth.
You’ll leave the Gold Museum feeling you’ve learned a great deal, understanding the links between different cultures, the incessant communications that took place, the deep bond that existed between man, nature and animals, and you’ll be left with a deep impression of the emotion felt in the offering room at the end of your visit!
Bogotá’s Gold Museum: simply magical.
Gold and silverware in pre-Columbian times
Bogotá Gold Museum
The art of metalworking developed in South America from 2000 BC on wards, and gradually spread to Colombia, where it flourished mainly in the Andes and along the Caribbean coast.
While the earliest goldsmiths’ work was simple and decorative, a tour of Bogotá’s Gold Museum reveals that techniques improved over the centuries, culminating in civilizations such as the Quimbaya and Tairona, who mastered an incredibly refined art of goldsmithing. The further you go, the more you’ll be blown away by the beauty and meticulousness of the objects on display!
Gold had no commercial value in pre-Columbian times. It was used to reinforce the prestige and authority of rulers, but was also used by the “common” population for simple decorative objects and everyday tools. Finally, gold was also used to make sacred objects that evoked cosmology, the origin of the world and the links between men and divinities.
Of course, gold was also used in ceremonies to make offerings to nature, notably around sacred lakes such as the Laguna de Guatavita. One of the most famous representations is of course the Muisca raft, which depicts one of these ceremonies with a spiritual leader covered in gold on a raft.
The “Cacique” was adored by covering him with gold dust before plunging him into the waters of the lagoon. Gold objects were also “offered” to the laguna and thrown into its depths to call down rain, good harvests or the mercy of the gods.
It was these myths, in particular, that gave rise to the destructive madness of colonizers in search of “El Dorado”.
Indigenous communities associated with the museum
Museo del oro, a Must-see in Bogota
Bogotá’s new Gold Museum, inaugurated in 2008, was redesigned in collaboration with Colombia’s indigenous populations.
The museum’s spiral circulation pattern is a reference to the worldview of most indigenous communities.
Prior to the inauguration, an ancestral ceremony was performed especially for the offering room, during which the songs of the “mamos” or spiritual leaders of the indigenous communities of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta were recorded. It is these songs that can be heard in this room.
The spiritual leaders of Colombia’s indigenous communities regularly perform dances, offerings and “spiritual cleansing” rituals, known as “limpiezas”, in the rooms of the Gold Museum.
Temporary exhibitions are organized to highlight aspects of the art of contemporary indigenous communities.
Gold museums in Colombia
The others Museo del oro
The Bogotá museum is not the only one in the country: there are other gold museums in Colombia. Most are dedicated to the civilizations that inhabited their respective regions:
- Tayrona Gold Museum, in the city of Santa Marta;
- Zenú Gold Museum, in Cartagena;
- Quimbaya Gold Museum, in the city of Armenia;
- Quimbaya Gold Museum, in the city of Manizales ;
- Calima Gold Museum, in the city of Cali;
- Nariño Gold Museum, in the city of Pasto ;
- Nariño Gold Museum, in the city of Ipiales;
- Ethnographic Museum in the town of Leticia.
Get in touch with a local guide
Visit the Gold Museum in Bogota
Responsible tourism
Martin offers city tours to discover the history of Colombia, understand the country’s social and political struggles, and gain a better understanding of the country you’re visiting. A more aware traveler is a responsible traveler!
How to get to the Gold Museum
The museum entrance is on the corner of Carrera 6 and Calle 16 in Parque Santander, in the Candelaria district, Bogotá’s historic center.
- Transmilenio station: “Museo del Oro”, 50 m from the museum entrance.
- From Plaza Bolivar: 10-minute walk
- From Parque de los periodistas: 3 minutes on foot
- From Plazoleta Chorro de Quevedo: 10 minutes on foot
- From Botero Museum: 10 minutes on foot
Admission times
The Bogota Gold Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday:
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday to Saturday: 9am – 7pm (last entry at 6pm)
- Sunday: 10am – 5pm (last entry at 4pm)
The museum is also closed :
- december 24, 25 and 31
- january 1st
