"There are books that open doors to the closed passages of history. In this spectacular work, Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, the Austrian anthropologist who thoroughly researched the pre-Hispanic goldwork of the territory that is now Colombia, deciphers for the first time the meaning that for many centuries remained hidden in the gold of the past—that sacred and essential element of the pre-Columbian world. It is, then, about coming to know the fascinating history written by the skillful hands of the Indigenous goldsmiths who created and cast the pieces destined for the rituals of their societies. Illustrated with splendid photographs of the pieces from the Museo del Oro, taken by Rudolf Schrimpff, this book is a delightful encounter with our remote history."