Three Gold-Bearing Prehispanic Ceramic Fragments from the Supía-Marmato Mining District, Rio Medio Cauca, Colombia

William E. Brooks; Mario Bermúdez Restrepo; Angela M. Cadena

doi:10.4236/ad.2016.41002

Home > Journals > Social Sciences & Humanities > AD

Archaeological Discovery > Vol.4 No.1, January 2016

Three Gold-Bearing Prehispanic Ceramic Fragments from the Supía-Marmato Mining District, Rio Medio Cauca, Colombia ()

William E. Brooks¹, Mario Bermúdez Restrepo², Angela M. Cadena²

¹Geologist, Reston, VA, USA.
²Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia.

DOI: 10.4236/ad.2016.41002 PDF HTML XML 3,141 Downloads 3,673 Views

Abstract

The alluvial environment of the Supía-Marmato mining district, in the Rio Medio Cauca region, Colombia, provided coarse and fine-grained gold that was used for prehispanic gold work and also fine-grained, gold-bearing sediments that were used for ceramic production. Three ceramic fragments, identified as Marrón Inciso—Quimbaya Clasico, were submitted for geochemical analysis in order to determine their elemental composition—the ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) data indicated: 2 - 8 ppm Ag; 91 - 367 ppm Au; 1 ppm Hg; 9 - 73 ppm Pt; 10 - 47 ppm Ni; 11 - 60 ppm Pb; and one sample contained 34,800 ppm Cu. The Rio Medio Cauca is a broad north-south zone that runs from Cauca Dept., in the south, to Medellin, Antioquia Dept., in the north. This region also hosts numerous mineral occurrences and mines such as Marmato (Au-Ag) and La Colosa (Au-Cu). We conclude that this is the first study to define and establish a link between the metal content of prehispanic ceramics and Au, Ag, Cu, and Pt occurrences in Colombia.

Keywords

Gold, ICP, Prehispanic, Ceramics, Rio Medio Cauca

Share and Cite:

Brooks, W. E., Restrepo, M. B., & Cadena, A. M. (2016) Three Gold-Bearing Prehispanic Ceramic Fragments from the Supía-Marmato Mining District, Rio Medio Cauca, Colombia. Archaeological Discovery, 4, 11-21. doi: 10.4236/ad.2016.41002.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Bergsoe, P. (1937). The Metallurgy and Technology of Gold and Platinum among the Pre-Columbian Indians (Trans. by F. C. Reynolds, 50 p.). Copenhagen: Danmarks Naturvidenskabelige Samfund.
[2]	Bermúdez, M., Cadena, A., & Lema, L. (2012). Prospección arqueológica del municipio de Marmato, Caldas [archaeological Study at the Municipality of Marmato, Caldas]: Informe Final, Minerales Andinos de Colombia (39 p.). Manizales: Universidad de Caldas.
[3]	Borrero, C. A., Toro, M. L., Guzman, J., Kay, S. M., & Vargas, C. (2013). Tectonic Setting and Evolution of Late Miocene Volcanism at Medio Cauca Basin, Colombia. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting Abstracts with Programs, 45, 391.
[4]	Brooks, W. E. (2014). Colombia Mercury Inventory 2011. Geología Colombiana, 37, 15-50.
[5]	Brooks, W. E., Cadena, A. M., & Bermúdez, M. (2013). Gold-Bearing Precontact Ceramic Fragments from the Medio Cauca Region, Colombia. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting Abstracts with Programs, 45, 94.
[6]	Brooks, W. E., Guerra, A., & Nuñez, F. J. (1995). Gold Prospecting in the Cerro Arrendajo Study Area, Estado Bolívar, Venezuela. In G. B. Sidder (Ed.), Geology and Mineral Deposits of the Venezuelan Guyana Shield, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2124 (G1-G8).
[7]	Brooks, W. E., Kent, J., & Willett, J. (2005). The Muralla Pircada, an Ancient Andean Debris Flow Retention Dam, Santa Rita B archaeological site, Chao Valley, Northern Perú. Landslides, 2, 117-123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10346-005-0051-7
[8]	Brooks, W. E., Piminchumo, V., Suarez, H., Jackson, J. C., & McGeehin, J. P. (2008). Mineral Pigments from Huaca Tacaynamo, Chan Chan, Northern Peru. Bulletin de l’Institut Francais d’études Andines, Lima, 37, 1-10.
[9]	Brooks, W. E., Schwörbel G., & Castillo, L. E. (2011). Amalgamation and Small-Scale Gold Mining in the Ancient Andes. Bulletin de l’Institut Francais d’études Andines, Lima, 40, 333-349.
[10]	Bruhns, K. O. (1970). A Quimbaya Gold Furnace? American Antiquity, 35, 202-203. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/278150
[11]	Craddock, P. (2000). The Platinum Group Element Inclusions. In A. Ramage, and P. Craddock (Eds.), King Croesus’ Gold (pp. 238-244). London: British Museum Press.
[12]	Espinosa, I. D., & Duque, M. (1993). Minería y metalurgica en Antioquia prehispánica [Mining and Metallurgy in Prehispanic Antioquia]. In H. Pimentel (Ed.), El Marrón Inciso de Antioquia: Una población prehispánica representada por el estilo ceramico Marrón Inciso (pp. 59-77). Colección Museo Universitario, Medellín: Universidad de Antioquia.
[13]	Fetzer, W. G. (1938). Contribución al estudio de las minas de Supía y Marmato [Contribution to Studies in the Supía and Marmato Mining District] (trans. J. Cuellar, 74 p). Dirección General de Minas, Bogotá: Imprenta Nacional.
[14]	Gemuts, I., Lopez, G., & Jimenez, F. (1992). Gold Deposits of Southern Ecuador. Society of Economic Geologists Newsletter, 11, 1-16.
[15]	Howell International (2014). Mines of South America (Map). Scale 1:1,000,000, Castle Rock, CO: Howell International Enterprises LLC.
[16]	InfoMine (2014). La Colosa. http://infomine.com
[17]	Ixer, R., Lunt, S., Sillar, B., & Thompson, P. (2014). Microscopic Rocks and Expansive Empires, Investigating Inca Ceramics from Cuzco, Peru. Archaeology International, 17, 122-136. http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ai.1702
[18]	Larco Hoyle, R. (2001). Los Mochicas, tomo II [The Moche, v. II] (350 p). Lima: Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera.
[19]	Mariquita New Granada Mining y Cia (1869). Minas de Mariquita [The Mariquita Mines]. Bogota: Imprenta El Liberal. http://www.banrepcultural.org
[20]	Meeks, N. D. (2000). Scanning Electron Microscopy of the Refractory Remains and the Gold. In A. Ramage, & P. Craddock (Eds.), King Croesus’ Gold (pp. 99-156). London: British Museum Press.
[21]	Mejia, L. J., Pulido, O., & Angarita, L. (1986). Mapa de ocurrencias minerales de Colombia [Mineral Occurrence Map of Colombia]. Scale 1:1,000,000, Bogotá: Instituto de Investigaciones Geológico-Minero.
[22]	Mendoza, V. (2011). Depósito aurifero de Marmato [The Marmato Gold Deposit]. Gran Colombia Gold, XIV Congreso Latinoamericano de Geologiá, Medellín, 29 de agosto a 02 de septiembre de 2011, 22 p.
[23]	Meyer, A. (1941). In the Chocó, Colombia. Engineering and Mining Journal, 142, 35-39.
[24]	Mutis, V. (1983). Catalogo de los yacimientos, prospectos y manifestaciones minerales de Colombia [Catalog of Mines, Prospects and Mineral Occurrences of Colombia] (No. 13, pp. 1-462). Bogotá: Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Geológico-Minero.
[25]	Orton, C., Tyers, P., & Vince, A. (1993). Pottery in Archaeology. Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology (269 p). London: Cambridge University Press.
[26]	Perea, A., Guttiérrez, P. C., Climent, A., Fernández-Esquivel, P., Rovira, S., Ruvalcaba, J. L., Verde, A., & Zucchiatti, A. (2013). Pre-Hispanic Goldwork Technology, the Quimbaya Treasure, Colombia. Journal of Archaeological Science, 40, 2326-2334. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2012.12.033
[27]	Petersen, G. (1970/2010). Mining and Metallurgy in Ancient Peru (90 p). Geological Society of America Special Paper 467, Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America.
[28]	Restrepo Uribe, E. (2014). Comunidades negras del Pacífico colombiano [Black Communities of Colombia’s Pacific Region]. In S. Ortiz Aristizabál (Ed.), Colección de Antropología: Herencia, Patrimonio y Memoria (pp. 102-137). Medellin: Museo Universidad de Antioquia.
[29]	Rodriguez, C. A. (2007). Alto y Medio Cauca prehispánico, v. 1 [Prehispanic Medio and Alto Cauca, v. 1] (198 p). Miami, FL: Syllaba Press International.
[30]	Rodriguez, C. J., & Pernet, A. (1983). Recursos minerales de Colombia [Mineral Resources of Colombia]. Boletín Geológico, INGEOMINAS, 26, 1-116.
[31]	Scheib, R. (1919). Croquis geológico del sur de Antioquia [Reconnaisance Geologic Map of Southern Antioquia]. Scale 1:333,000, Bogotá: Instituto de Investigaciones Geológico-Minero.
[32]	Scott, D. A., & Bray, W. (1980). Ancient Platinum Technology in South America, Its Use in Prehispanic Times. Platinum Metals Review, 24, 147-157.
[33]	Scott, D. A., & Bray, W. (1994). Prehispanic Platinum Alloys, Their Composition and Use in Ecuador and Colombia. In D. A. Scott, & P. Meyers (Eds.), Archaeometry of Pre-Columbian Sites and Artefacts (pp. 285-322). Los Angeles, CA: The Getty Conservation Institute.
[34]	Silva Herrera, J. (2010). ONU premia a chocoanos que se ganan la vida con “el oro verde” [United Nations Award to Chocó Miners Who Produce “Green Gold”] (p. 3). Bogotá: El Tiempo.
[35]	Truhan, D. L., Burton, D. L., & Bruhns, K. O. (2005). El cinabrio en el mundo Andino [Cinnabar in the Ancient Andes]. Revista de Antropología, 18, 193-205.
[36]	Uchida, E., Niikuma, D., & Watanabe, R. (2015). Regional Differences in the Chemical Composition of Cuneiform Clay Tablets. Archaeological Discovery, 3, 179-207. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ad.2015.34015
[37]	Uribe, M. A. (2007). Orfebrería, ideología y poder en el Cauca Medio [Metalwork, Ideology and Power in the Middle Cauca]. In R. L. Perez (Ed.), Metalurgía en la América Antigua (pp. 247-280). Lima: Instituto Frances de Estudios Andinos.