Many of the objects in the collection were created by highly skilled artisans who chose materials prized for their brilliance, malleability, texture, or durability. Gold adornments and ceremonial implements are the product of a rich metalworking tradition with origins in the Andes. Carvings in jade and other semiprecious stone have been in circulation in Mesoamerica and elsewhere for millennia. Textiles were among the most valuable items in the Pre-Columbian world. Modeled and painted ceramics held food, decorated homes and tombs, and circulated as gifts in societies from the Maya to the Moche.
