One day this week was museum day. We visited the Museo de Nacionale and Museo de Bogota earlier on this trip. Wasn’t that enough? It is true; sometimes we almost dread museum visits. Sometimes we find the pace in museums too slow for our energy level, they can be hard on the feet, and sometimes they are not as interesting as intended. Inevitably though we find there is always much to be learned . . . sometimes it’s an entire hall, and sometimes it’s just one single exhibit that makes the museum visit far more than anticipated. This day was reserved for Museo de Oro and Museo Casa de Simon Bolivar.
I was a little hesitant about visiting the gold museum because past experiences in this type of museum seemed commercialized . . . which by now most folks know I do not like. However, to my great surprise, it was one of the most wonderful museums we have visited in a long time. Yes, almost all exhibits on its three floors are displays of gold objects. The museum is not only said to be the finest in South America, its collection of over 33,000 golden pieces is the largest in the world. In total over 55,000 pieces of gold, bone, shell, pottery, and textiles are tastefully displayed here to give us a glimpse into the lives and beliefs of pre-Colombian civilizations thousands of years ago. Many of the large gold pieces we saw were body ornaments used by indigenous people, some as early as 1400 years before Christ. I repeat, 1400 years before Christ. The largest and most grand solid gold pieces were thought to belong to royalty or the high priest/shaman of a tribe. Over the years images of the jaguar, eagle, and bats were most predominantly represented in breastplate and faceplate designs. The heavy earrings and nose rings they wore surely disfigured their facial features. The museum illustrated how gold was found in sand in the rivers and streams, gathered, hammered, formed and decorated, or later, melted and cast in intricate designs.
Contrary to popular belief none of the gold in this museum came from Lake Guatavita. It was customary in almost all of the world’s ancient civilizations to bury the dead with all their riches and tools they might need in the next life. The gold seen in the Museo de Ora was originally buried with the bodies of dignitaries in primary and secondary funerals. Centuries later, these gold artifacts presented themselves as rare findings in huge archeological digs.
The millions and millions of dollars worth of gold in this museum were dazzling to see and astounding to think that some pieces are thousands of years old and still have the original intoxicating beauty.
During our 20 minute walk to the Casa de Bolivar, we treated ourselves one last time to Colombian tamales — chicken, peas, and carrot enveloped in a thick blanket of corny tasting masa. Delicious! Our walk took us through Parque de los Periodistas where we stopped for a brief period to watch a performer dancing on the pavilion – and also watched a park resident feel the need to join in.
The 17th century low-profile, red-tiled roof colonial house, called Quinta de Bolivar (country house) was not built by Bolivar. When its original owners died, the family could not afford its maintenance. The government of Nueva Granada eventually took it over, restored the property, and gave it to Bolivar as a token of appreciation for his leadership role in liberating Columbia from Spain.
The house was restored between 1820 and 1830 but Bolivar did not live there regularly. During the ten years of his ownership, he spent only a total of just over 400 days in the house. His lovely confident, advisor, chief of staff, and intimate friend, Manuela (Manuelita) Saenz loved the house and decorated it in a style of comfort for Bolivar and the a place of parties and strategy meetings. As a side note, although Bolivar and Manuelita had a deep love, for each other, they were never married. Bolivar was married in 1802 as a young man. Eight months later at his wife’s death of yellow fever, he vowed to never remarry. He had no direct descendants.
After Bolivar‘s death, the property went through several uses but in 1918 it was declared a national property and became a museum. Today some original Bolivar furnishings and carefully retained artifacts are shown in the house. The property has beautiful gardens on three sides, an outdoor bath pavilion, and on the fourth side, a kitchen garden, a separate cookhouse, pantry, a granary, and a tack house A broad welcoming porch surrounds the main country house. Relics of engraved cannons decorate the side porches and in a separate exhibition handguns, swords, and long guns used in the War of Independence are displayed.
Simon Bolivar, a Spaniard who turned and became the liberator of the colonies, is in very, very high regard here in South and Central America.
