﻿900 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  MANUFACTURES 
  AND 
  TECHNOLOGY 
  

  

  That 
  Chibcha 
  art 
  was 
  low-grade 
  follows 
  from 
  the 
  backwardness 
  of 
  

   their 
  technologies, 
  but 
  the 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  retardation 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  un- 
  

   known. 
  The 
  culture 
  was 
  obviously 
  oriented 
  otherwise. 
  A 
  hereditary 
  

   nobility 
  might 
  conceivably 
  have 
  developed 
  good 
  taste, 
  but 
  did 
  not. 
  

   It 
  was 
  the 
  gold 
  of 
  a 
  figure, 
  or 
  the 
  ideas 
  which 
  it 
  expressed, 
  that 
  were 
  of 
  

   interest, 
  and 
  the 
  crudest 
  stereotypic 
  representation 
  sufficed. 
  The 
  

   goldcasting 
  art 
  involved 
  a 
  certain 
  technical 
  skill, 
  it 
  is 
  true; 
  but 
  the 
  

   techniques 
  were 
  common 
  property 
  from 
  Central 
  America 
  to 
  Ecuador; 
  

   and 
  Chibcha 
  products 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  inferior 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  Chiriqui, 
  

   Code, 
  Antioquia, 
  and 
  Quimbaya. 
  

  

  Metallurgy. 
  — 
  The 
  materials 
  of 
  this 
  art 
  were 
  gold, 
  less 
  often 
  copper, 
  

   frequently 
  copper-gold 
  alloy 
  (tumbaga). 
  These 
  metals 
  were 
  certainly 
  

   melted 
  and 
  cast, 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  doubtful 
  if 
  smelting 
  of 
  ores 
  was 
  known: 
  

   in 
  that 
  case, 
  one 
  should 
  expect 
  more 
  silver. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  

   supplies 
  of 
  this 
  metallurgy 
  were 
  native, 
  from 
  placers; 
  which 
  would 
  also 
  

   account 
  for 
  the 
  occasional 
  pieces 
  which 
  are 
  part 
  silver 
  or 
  platinum. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  metal 
  was 
  beaten 
  out 
  into 
  thin 
  sheets 
  over 
  forms, 
  molds, 
  

   or 
  repousse; 
  some 
  was 
  cast, 
  but 
  most 
  often 
  into 
  definitely 
  flat 
  figures 
  — 
  

   either 
  as 
  a 
  carry-over 
  from 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  beating 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  process 
  

   known 
  or 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  largest 
  surface 
  from 
  the 
  least 
  amount 
  

   of 
  gold. 
  The 
  cramping 
  of 
  a 
  three-dimensional 
  process 
  into 
  essentially 
  

   two-dimensional 
  shapes 
  of 
  course 
  tended 
  to 
  prevent 
  from 
  the 
  outset 
  

   any 
  freer 
  esthetic 
  development. 
  The 
  casting 
  was 
  mainly 
  by 
  cire 
  per- 
  

   due; 
  and 
  in 
  this, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  predilection 
  for 
  rolling 
  out 
  threads 
  of 
  wax 
  

   and 
  applying 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  figure. 
  In 
  the 
  casting, 
  this 
  gives 
  a 
  filigree 
  

   effect; 
  but 
  though 
  self 
  -soldering 
  was 
  known, 
  the 
  filigree 
  appearance 
  was 
  

   mostly 
  obtained 
  by 
  casting 
  in 
  one 
  flow. 
  So 
  great 
  was 
  the 
  addiction 
  to 
  

   this 
  wire 
  effect 
  that 
  not 
  only 
  noses, 
  eyes, 
  mouth, 
  and 
  fingers 
  but 
  often 
  

   limbs 
  were 
  shown 
  by 
  it, 
  or 
  flat 
  surfaces, 
  like 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  a 
  chair. 
  Real- 
  

   ism 
  under 
  these 
  circumstances 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question; 
  filigree 
  

   is 
  in 
  its 
  nature 
  a 
  decorative 
  device; 
  but 
  the 
  Colombians 
  and 
  Pana- 
  

   manians 
  kept 
  using 
  it 
  to 
  represent 
  the 
  symbolic 
  idea 
  of 
  persons, 
  

   animals, 
  and 
  objects. 
  A 
  species 
  of 
  gilding 
  was 
  practiced: 
  treatment 
  

   of 
  tumbaga 
  with 
  vegetable 
  acids 
  ate 
  away 
  the 
  surface 
  copper 
  and 
  left 
  

   a 
  thin 
  film 
  of 
  gold 
  . 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  this, 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  followed 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  other 
  tribes, 
  only 
  

   executing 
  it 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  skillfully. 
  This 
  inferiority 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  

   of 
  their 
  territory 
  being 
  without 
  gold, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  art 
  and 
  the 
  material 
  

   reached 
  them 
  together, 
  and 
  relatively 
  late 
  in 
  their 
  history, 
  as 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  second-hand 
  though 
  prized. 
  

  

  Textiles. 
  — 
  Textiles 
  were 
  at 
  least 
  prevailingly 
  of 
  cotton; 
  other 
  fibers 
  

   seem 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  mentioned. 
  References 
  to 
  decoration 
  are 
  by 
  painting, 
  

   with 
  a 
  brush; 
  but 
  pottery 
  cylinders 
  with 
  relief 
  patterns 
  are 
  found, 
  

  

  