Artefactos: Colombian Crafts from the Andes to the Amazon

The artifacts that remain today from ancient Columbian civilizations reveal a remarkable people-who built homes that could withstand the elements in the world's wettest rain forest, carved monumental statues of their ancient ancestors and sacred spirits, and tantalized the western world with the beauty of their golden objects set with the finest emeralds. These artifacts serve not only as a testimony of the great achievements of cultures that disappeared long ago, but as patterns and inspirations for those who still carry on these craft traditions in the tropical rain forests or snow-capped mountains of what is today Columbia.

This book presents artifacts—or artefactos—from everyday life, objects that have accompanied Columbian people through the centuries, both in their earthly and spiritual activities. In both English and Spanish, the word artifact means, literally, "made with skill or art." Although all worthy of museums and galleries, these are not just exhibition pieces, nor are their makers all members of a separate artisan class. There is no Columbian home, however humble, that does not have a handmade broom, stool, basket, textile, or rustic furniture; nor is there a single Amazon Indian who cannot quickly piece together a basket from leaves found in the jungle.

Many of the crafts made today still retain a significance beyond the strictly utilitarian, from the basket holder whose hourglass shape is a fertility symbol to the stool carved by a young man as a sign of his goldwork to basketry, weaving to pottery, are an astounding body of work and provide a lesson in how people use their natural environment—and their hands—to create splendid objects and surrounds.