Tunjo

[[File:Muisca Tunjos - Museo del Oro - Bogotá.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''Tunjos'' in the Museo del Oro, Bogotá]] thumb|200px|right|Zoomorph ''tunjo'' in the Museo del Oro thumb|200px|right|''Tunjo'' mold in the Museo del Oro thumb|200px|right|''Tunjos'' of ''tumbaga'' in the Museo del Oro thumb|200px|right|''Tunjo'' symbol of Club Colombia beer A '''''tunjo''''' (from Muysccubun: ''chunso'')<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://muysca.cubun.org/chunso ''chunso''] - Muysccubun Dictionary</ref> is a small anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figure elaborated by the Muisca as part of their art. ''Tunjos'' were made of gold or ''tumbaga''; a gold-silver-copper alloy. The Muisca used their ''tunjos'' in various instances in their religion and the small votive offering figures have been found in various places on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia. ''Tunjos'' were used as offer pieces, to communicate with the gods and when the Muisca asked for favours from their deities.<ref name=Arteenlared>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.arteenlared.com/latinoamerica/colombia/historias-de-ofrendas-de-oro-muiscas.html ''Tunjos'' on Arte en la red]</ref> Muisca scholar Pedro Simón wrote about the ''tunjos'' of the Muisca.<ref name=Arteenlared/>

== Background == The Muisca, organised in their loose Muisca Confederation, exhibited one of the four advanced civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas.<ref>Ocampo López, 2007, Ch.V, p.188</ref> While the Aztec, the Maya and the Inca were famous for their grand architecture with temples, pyramids and cities, the Muisca lived in simple wooden and reed ''bohíos''. The main skill of the Muisca was their goldworking. The Muisca made pectoral pieces, nose rings (''narigueras''), earrings, plates, ''poporos'' and other figures from the gold they traded with the surrounding indigenous groups, such as the Muzo, Panche, Guane, Pijao and others. One of the most common finds of these gold or ''tumbaga'' figures are the ''tunjos''.<ref name=Pueblos>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.pueblosoriginarios.com/sur/caribe/muisca/arte.html ''Tunjos'' and other Muisca art] - Pueblos Originarios</ref>

== Description == Tunjos were small figures picturing people, the deities of the Muisca religion or animals. They were used for three purposes; as ornaments in the graves of the Muisca people, from various social classes, as decoration at the entrances of temples and shrines, which once filled were buried in secret places by the Muisca priests and as offer ritual figures in the sacred lakes and rivers of the Muisca.<ref name=Museo>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/historia/meaneg/meaneg8.htm Description and metallurgy of ''tunjos''] - Museo del Oro - Bogotá</ref>

''Tunjos'' have been uncovered in Lake Guatavita, Bosa River; the part of the Bogotá River west of the Bogotá neighbourhood Bosa, and in various other sacred sites of the Muisca. ''Tunjos'' have been found in caves too.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://artesanias-colombia.blogspot.com.co/2008/02/los-tunjos-muiscas.html ''Tunjos'' found in caves and other places]</ref> In 2001, a farmer found three ''tunjos'' in Carmen de Carupa, Cundinamarca.<ref name=Arteenlared/> Exactly the same figures have been found up to the Valle del Cauca in the south of Colombia.<ref name=Museo/> The Pijao also made ''tunjos''.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.colombia.com/colombia-info/folclor-y-tradiciones/leyendas/el-tunjo/ ''Tunjo'' of the Pijao people]</ref>

=== Fabrication === The Muisca used to make matrixes or moulds of rock types such as shales and obsidian and poured their molten gold or ''tumbaga'' into the matrix. When the metals were cooled and solidified, they removed the stone moulds and the ''tunjos'' remained.<ref name=Museo/> To create the 2D ''tunjos'', they used a lost-wax casting process using beeswax to make the figure, put the wax ''tunjo'' in clay, that was heated to evaporate the wax and the gold or ''tumbaga'' was poured into the empty space left.<ref>Cooper, 2013</ref>

The design of the majority of tunjos appears to have gold wire soldered or brazed onto their surface. This, however, is not the case and analysis of the dendrites formed in the metal has shown that they have in fact been cast as one piece.

==== Alloys ==== Various ''tunjos'' have been analysed with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) giving the following results:<ref name=Museo/><ref>Poster at the Museo del Oro, Bogotá</ref>

{| class=wikitable |- ! metal || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || #2 || #8 |- | gold || 71.54 || 79.48 || 96.90 || 88.64 || 88.72 || 81.10 || 86.72 || 85.62 || 54.63 || 45.91 |- | silver || 23.67 || 18.01 || 2.48 || 11.05 || 10.02 || 12.18 || 12.79 || 12.79 || 16.31 || 10.55 |- | copper || 4.62 || 2.48 || traces || 0.12 || 1.11 || 5.94 || 1.16 || 1.47 || 29.31 || 43.70 |- | lead || traces || colspan=4 | || 0.28 || traces || colspan=3 | |- | iron || colspan=4 | || 0.02 || colspan=5 | |} {{clear left}}

=== Museum collections === {{see also|List of Muisca museum collections}} Of the relatively few Muisca artefacts that can be found in museums outside of Colombia, the ''tunjos'' are most common. ''Tunjos'' are in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History,<ref>[http://images.library.amnh.org/digital/index.php/items/show/40807 ''Tunjo'' in American Museum of Natural History]</ref> Art Institute of Chicago,<ref>[http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/artist/Muisca ''Tunjos'' in the Art Institute Chicago]</ref> Baltimore Museum of Art,<ref>[http://collection.artbma.org/emuseum/view/objects/aslist/search@?t:state:flow=f883947a-3a30-4b0b-b2b6-f750b4419ab5 ''Tunjos'' in the Baltimore Museum of Art]</ref> British Museum,<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/themes/lost_kingdoms_of_south_america/muisca_and_tairona.aspx ''Tunjo'' in the British Museum]</ref> Brooklyn Museum,<ref>[https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/97014/Standing_Human_Figure ''Tunjo'' in the Brooklyn Museum]</ref> Cleveland Museum of Art,<ref>[http://www.clevelandart.org/art/collection/search?collection_search_query=Muisca&op=search&form_build_id=form-3WgOItA0qaUGYiZm6xMQ6LfA3trcjs3GrhBh06xEja4&form_id=clevelandart_collection_search_form ''Tunjos'' in the Cleveland Art Museum]</ref> Dallas Museum of Art,<ref>[https://www.dma.org/collection/search?color_hex_exact=%23edc9af&medium_exact=tumbaga&artist_creator_exact=muisca ''Tunjos'' in the Dallas Museum of Art]</ref> Hunt Museum (listed as "possible Peruvian" [sic]),<ref>[http://www.huntmuseum.com/collection/collection-items/hcm-309.aspx ''Tunjo'' in Hunt Museum]</ref> Metropolitan Museum of Art,<ref>[http://metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!/search?artist=Chibcha ''Tunjos'' in the Metropolitan Museum of Art]</ref> Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,<ref>[https://collections.mfah.org/art/search?culture=Muisca&artist=Muisca&show=50 ''Tunjos'' in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701203342/https://collections.mfah.org/art/search?culture=Muisca&artist=Muisca&show=50 |date=2016-07-01 }}</ref> Princeton University Art Museum,<ref>[http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/collections/objects/30948 ''Tunjo'' in the Princeton University Art Museum]</ref> Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.<ref>[http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/andes/178022.html ''Tunjo'' in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian]</ref>

== Trivia == * the largest Colombian beer brand Club Colombia uses a ''tunjo'' in their symbolism.

== Gallery == <gallery mode="packed" heights="180px"> Muisca Tunjo - Museo del Oro - Bogotá.jpg|''Tunjo'', Museo del Oro, Bogotá Muisca Tunjo 2 - Museo del Oro - Bogotá.jpg|''Tunjo'', Museo del Oro Museo del oro, Bogotá, Colombia - Muisca Votive Figure.jpg|''Tunjo'', Museo del Oro Muisca tunjo on stool - MET - Art. 1979.206.780.jpg|''Tunjo'' on stool, MET, NYC Muisca tunjo - MET - Art. DT6752.jpg|''Tunjo'', MET Muisca mold for tunjo production - MET - Art. 1979.206.1045.jpg|Mold for ''tunjo'' production, MET </gallery>

== See also == {{Portal|Colombia|History}} *Muisca art *Muisca economy *Gold Museum, Bogotá, the largest collection of ''tunjos'' and other indigenous Colombian golden art *Muisca religion *Los Tunjos Lake, a lake in the Sumapaz Paramo, named after the ''tunjos'' *Muisca

== References == {{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography === * {{citation |last=Cooper |first=Jago |year=2013 |title=The Lost Kingdoms of South America - Episode 3 - Lands of Gold |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sovvzUAVoA |accessdate=2016-07-14}} * {{citation |last=Ocampo López |first=Javier |year=2007 |title=Grandes culturas indígenas de América - Great indigenous cultures of the Americas |location=Bogotá, Colombia |publisher=Plaza & Janes Editores Colombia S.A. |isbn=978-958-14-0368-4 |pages=1–238 |language=es}}

Category:Muisca art Category:Muisca mythology and religion Category:Gold sculptures Category:Indigenous sculpture of the Americas