The Treasure of Quimabayas is a historical jewel, a display of craft mastery, and also increasingly the focus of diplomatic tensions between Spain and Colombia. At the epicenter of the dispute is a collection of 122 archaeological items made by the Quimbayas, which the then president of Colombia gave to the queen of Spain in 1893; This led to the destruction of Bogota until more than a century later, that is, into the 21st century. He moved to demand his return from Madrid. The Government of Gustavo Petro had already done this with a letter in May. And now, in the face of Moncloa’s silence, he plans to send a new letter.

His aim was to make it clear that he would not let the matter end.

A look back at the 4th century. The so-called “Quimbaya treasure” has become a hot potato in relations between the Governments of Gustavo Petro and Pedro Sánchez, but in reality its history is much older. The 122 pieces that make up it were made between the 4th and 7th centuries and are a testament to the craftsmanship of the Quimbaya people living in the Bajo Cauca region of Colombia. For the Spanish Ministry of Culture, they constitute “an outstanding example of pre-Columbian culture”. For this reason, they are preserved as a major attraction in the Museum of the Americas.

A busy 19th century. The pieces, now disputed, lay forgotten for centuries until 1890, when a group of guaqueros found them in two pre-Columbian tombs at Filandia in the Quindío region. The original treasure, the BBC recalls, was much larger than the treasure stored in Madrid today and included ceramics, stone and fabrics, as well as metalwork.

In 1891 the Colombian Government managed to seize the collection of 433 objects, but was unable to hold them for long. Shortly thereafter, at least some of the pieces crossed the Atlantic and were included in an exhibition in Madrid to commemorate the fourth centenary of the Spanish arrival in the Americas.

In 1893, the country’s then-president, Carlos Holguín, decided to go one step further and gave María Cristina, queen regent of Habsburg-Lorraine, the parts that Colombia now wanted to recover.

“The most complete and valuable”. This wasn’t just another donation. It didn’t come in a normal context either. In Holguín’s words, the collection was the “most complete and valuable” example of the Colombian indigenous industry.

His Government, however, wished to thank Spain for the arbitration in the border dispute between Colombia and Venezuela that resulted in Colombia’s favour. Holguín’s words were certainly not misleading. Today known as the “Treasure of Quimbaya”, this place is notable for its tumbaga items, an alloy combining gold and precious metal with copper.

So what kind of treasure is this? “It consists of a typology of objects related to the consumption of hallucinogens and the adornment of the bodies of chefs,” the Ministry of Culture recalls. However, the most popular pieces are those representing six jeweled chiefs, four men and two women, one of whom is pregnant. The treasure was kept at the National Archaeological Museum until 1941, when the Museum of the Americas was established. It took a little longer to reach its current position. This didn’t happen until the 60s.

letter to madrid. Just because 131 years have passed since Holguín’s pardon does not mean that the status of the Quimbaya treasure is off the Colombian political agenda. In 2017, the Constitutional Court agreed to request the return of the artifact to Spain and ordered the Administration, then headed by Juan Manuel Santos, to take the necessary steps to recover the 122 pieces. Neither Santos nor Iván Duque wanted to open the old treasure, but Gustavo Petro’s team decided to continue the case.

Their most media-driven move came last May, when Colombian Culture Minister Juan David Correa and Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo signed a letter to their Spanish counterparts arguing that the pieces should be sent back to Colombia.

That’s why the country officially requested them. He did this by bringing up the 2017 order, but also raising issues such as “decolonization of museums”, “cultural sovereignty” or “recognition of the rights of peoples”.

When silence isn’t worth it. The case could have ended there, with a formal petition, a few headlines, and a passing controversy that faded away as the months passed. In fact, although the Spanish Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun has in the past advocated a review of the museum network in order to “overcome the colonial framework”, everything indicates that this is the strategy proposed by the Spanish Administration.

At least that’s how Colombia seems to interpret it, having decided to knock on Moncloa’s door again. Like? A few days ago, as I was advancing, I received a second letter Clarion.

“It is important to insist”. Bogotá decided to make the move precisely because of the “lack of response to the letter sent on May 9” and made it clear that it would not accept silence as an answer. Minister of Culture Juan David Correa said in a statement: “It is important to insist that they answer us. We want to talk and explain why we are requesting this, not only to the Spanish Government, but also to Spanish citizens.” collected by diary. And he adds: “We will not stop insisting, we will not stop telling Spain that we need a more horizontal conversation.”

Focus of discussion. The debate is not just about what was donated in 1893, but above all about how it was donated. Government sources consulted Country They claim that the treasure was found in Spain not as a result of plunder but because of donation, and therefore the treasure belongs to the State by all laws.

Moreover, they also remember that the 122 pieces belong to the national heritage, so it is not up to the Minister of Culture to decide what to do with these works. In Bogotá, they highlight another important issue: the circumstances under which the donation was made in 1893.

The treasure arrived in Spain in 1892 to participate in an exhibition, and only a few months later it was Holguín who decided to give it to the Spanish Crown. It is claimed that this donation is against the law in Colombia and does not receive public support. “This is a fake gift made by a president at the end of the 19th century, without consultation and without abuse; this collection left the country not for the purpose of donation, but for an exhibition,” the current Minister of Culture reasons. “This abuse of power continues.”

“Your back is turned to your homeland”. This was the main argument put forward by the Colombian administration to strengthen its position, a logic they have been emphasizing over the last few months.

“The gift in these quotes was given in an obtuse, highly vague and illegitimate manner, under absolutely abnormal, secret circumstances, with its back to the country, to the constitution of 1886,” Correa insists in statements compiled by the BBC. He said that “return would mean something symbolically very important, an act of historical reparation.”

Country He says Madrid does not want to get into conflict and his idea is to reach an amicable agreement that would, for example, allow the return of the treasure for a temporary exhibition.

Image | Ángel M. Felicísimo (Flickr) and the USC Museum

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