Muisca raft (Balsa Muisca)

E53671

The Muisca raft (Balsa Muisca) is a famous pre-Columbian gold votive piece depicting a ritual scene associated with the El Dorado legend, created by the Muisca people of what is now Colombia.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Muisca raft 0

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Muisca art
archaeological artifact
golden raft
pre-Columbian artwork
pre-Columbian gold votive piece
alternateName Balsa Muisca
Muisca golden raft
associatedWith El Dorado legend
Lake Guatavita ritual
category Archaeological discoveries in Colombia
Pre-Columbian gold objects
collection Gold Museum (Museo del Oro)
surface form: Museo del Oro
countryOfOrigin Colombia
creator Muisca
surface form: Muisca people
culture Muisca
currentLocation Gold Museum (Museo del Oro)
surface form: Gold Museum, Bogotá
depicts attendants surrounding a chief
ceremonial raft
chief covered in gold dust
offering ceremony
ritual scene
discoveredIn Colombia
discoveredNear Pasca
discoveryCountry Colombia
estimatedDate c. 600–1600 CE
exhibitedAt Gold Museum (Museo del Oro)
surface form: Museo del Oro, Bogotá
genre votive offering
heritageStatus icon of Colombian cultural heritage
influencedBy Muisca
surface form: Muisca cosmology
languageOfName Spanish
locatedInTheAdministrativeTerritorialEntity Bogotá
material gold
tumbaga
nativeName Balsa Muisca
ownedBy Banco de la República
surface form: Banco de la República (Colombia)
partOf pre-Columbian art of Colombia
regionOfOrigin Altiplano Cundiboyacense
religion Muisca religion
significance masterpiece of pre-Columbian goldwork
symbol of El Dorado myth
style Muisca goldwork
subject Zipa’s investiture ceremony
inauguration of a new Muisca ruler
technique lost-wax casting
timePeriod Late Muisca period
use religious ceremony
ritual offering

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Gold Museum (Museo del Oro) notableArtifact Muisca raft (Balsa Muisca)