On the fourth floor of Bogotá’s legendary Museo del Oro – Gold Museum – an item of Colombia’s pre-Hispanic history gleams with extraordinary beauty: the Muisca Raft. This intricate gold artifact, steeped in the mythology of El Dorado, is set to dazzle audiences once again as part of a revamped exhibition opening on December 19, 2024. For the first time, visitors will experience the iconic raft alongside the array of objects discovered with it – a ceremonial ensemble unearthed over five decades ago in a cave in Pasca, Cundinamarca.
The Muisca Raft, a votive offering crafted by the indigenous Muisca people, stands as a testament to their advanced metallurgical skill and profound spiritual connection to the world around them. Cast using the lost-wax technique – a process as delicate as it is complex – the raft depicts a ceremonial scene evoking a fabled El Dorado ritual, in which a gold-covered chieftain – cacique – is traveling with his gilded crew across one of the Muisca’s many sacred lagoons. The journey is part of a ceremonial offering to the unseen deities of the Muisca. The raft’s design, seemingly suspended between legend and reality, has captivated historians, archaeologists, and artisans, since the raft surfaced from the earth back in 1969.
The raft’s discovery was as serendipitous as it was surreal. Cruz María Dimaté, a local farmer in Pasca, stumbled upon a ceramic vessel within a cave inside La Campana mountain. The vessel held not only the raft but also an array of ceremonial objects: a seated figurine, fragments of animal skulls, a ceramic container, and golden stretchers. Recognizing the rarity of these precious items, Dimaté turned them over to Padre Jaime Hincapié Santamaría, the local parish priest, who ensured their preservation until the raft was acquired by the country’s Central Bank – Banco de la República – that same year. Now, almost six decades later, the raft remains a symbol of Colombia’s indigenous heritage and centerpiece of its national identity.
For the Muisca, gold was not merely a commodity; it was a medium for spiritual expression. Unworked gold held no value in their society – its transformation into intricate artifacts imbued it with meaning. The raft, like other offerings, was created to maintain cosmic balance, connecting the human and sacred realms. It is this philosophy, embedded in every detail of the raft’s design, that elevates it beyond mere ornamentation into a timeless narrative of care and reverence for the world.
After more than three months of renovations, the fourth floor of the Museo del Oro has undergone a major transformation. The new exhibition hall is the result of years of multidisciplinary research and collaboration with specialists in conservation, design, and pre-Hispanic goldwork. The museum’s revamped museography invites visitors to explore not just the artifact’s craftsmanship but also its broader cultural and historical narratives.
Among the highlights of the exhibition are state-of-the-art interactive displays that reveal the lost-wax casting technique used to create the raft; new narratives depicting the Muisca’s ceremonial practices and the raft’s role within their cosmology; and detailed interpretations of the raft’s figures and symbols, bringing its ceremonial significance to life. The exhibition also reflects on the raft’s journey from an archaeological discovery to an internationally recognized symbol of Colombia’s Indigenous heritage.
A Timeless Masterpiece
The Muisca Raft has defied both time and space. Its minute details and promethean golden figures appear either motionless or poised to embark on some interstellar voyage. The precision of its composition conjures an era where craftsmanship and spirituality were intertwined. Yet, its resonance extends far beyond its origins. As visitors stand before this artifact, hovering over a black reflective surface, they are drawn into a dialogue spanning centuries, reflecting on humanity’s enduring quest to understand the universe through art and ritual.
The Gold Museum’s renewed exhibition is more than an invitation to witness an artifact; it is a call to engage with the profound legacy of the Muisca. Their artistry and worldview, captured in this small yet monumental raft, reminds us of the interconnectedness of culture and nature, and how one ceremonial ritual reveals the enduring importance of caring for the world. The Muisca’s message about preserving our fragile ecosystems, transcends its central role as an object of awe and reverence.
Visit the official page of Banco de la República for more on this exhibition and plan your visit to the Museo del Oro in Bogotá and explore the bank’s seven regional gold museums.
https://www.banrepcultural.org/exposiciones/exposicion-permanente-del-museo-del-oro
Admission Fee: COP $5,000
Free entry for children under 12 and adults over 60. Free admission on Sundays
Cra 6 No.15-88. Closed on Mondays.
Open Tuesday to Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
