Samstag, 7. Februar 2015

Bogota

Bogota is a huge city with about 10.000.000 inhabitants (more tan Austria!). I decided to spend here 2,5 days because I don't like being too long in big cities but tere are quite a few attractions to see and I managed to see quite a few. The historical center is nice. on one hand, streets with little colored houses, on the other, impressive large government buildings like the presidencial palace, the congress etc.
I started my Bogota tour with a visit to the very impressive gold museum. Here is a fantastic collection of pre Hispanic golden objects and ornaments and beautiful potery. It illustrates the social and cultural life of the different groups of people who lived in what is now known as Colombia from 2,500 years ago until the time of the European conquest. I invite you to a little tour to show at least a few of these fantastic exhibits.





The shamans of numerous present day indigenous groups heal the sick by rhytmically stirring palm leaves, just as this person seems to be doing. 










This is the top part of a burial urn, as was common in the region of the Magdalena ricer. 

The bird men in htese ornaments have twisted nose rings with circular tips instead of a beak, they are elements in the transformation into a bird which allude to the ecstatic flight of the shaman. 













Colombia has a history which goes back 15000 years. Pre Hispanic societies have left us a valuable legacy in the form of various organisation systems, adaptations and ways of thinking. The currently 84 indigenous groups in the country speak 65 native languages. Most have retained their religion and some use in their rituals the gold that has been handed down from their forefathers. 


from 350 AC:



"By the lake of Guatavila they made a great raft of reeds, decorating it as beautifully as theey could They undressed the heir, anointed him with a sticky earth and dusted him with ground and poudered gold, so that he went in the raft completely covered with this metal. The golden Indian made his offering casting all the gold and emeralds he had brought into the middle of the lake , and the 4 chieftains who were with him made their own offerings; and when the raft landed the feast commenced, flutes and conch shell trumpets, with great dances in circles according to their custom, with which ceremony they received the new ruler and acclaimed him their lord and prince. From this ceremony came the celebrated name of El Dorado." Juan Rodriguez Freire, 1636
The next tour I would like to invite you to is to the Botero museum. Fernando Botero was born in Medellin and he gave the museum in Bogota a large collection of his works and also of other artists whose works he had collected . You can see there even paintings by Renoir, Pissaro, Monet etc. Here one painting of Pissaro I loved:
and now some paintings and sculptures by Botero:




Botero's Mona Lisa:
I hope he did not treat his wife like that! What kind of a man is that, who has the idea of making such a sculpture??????















Some of his works do seem a little perverse








and the garden of the museum
Well, that's enough Botero for today. 

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