The Diquis region of Costa Rica (which borders
Panama) was one of the most important gold
manufacturing centers in Pre-Columbian times.
Gold was in plentiful supply from the rivers
flowing towards the sea, and gold jewelry was
considered a vital part of a person's
ornamentation and religious paraphernalia.
Diquis goldsmith's developed a distinctive local
style; often representing nature very accurately,
but with a rich symbolism of complex beliefs
that may be similar to the mythology of present-
day Indians of the region. This fantastic pendant
represents a beautifully detailed scorpion
gripping onto two snakes with its many legs. The
body has ridges on it back, finely delineated
pincers and curved tail unique to scorpions. Its
eyes are particularly charming, squinting in the
way insects do, and full of character. The two
snakes, used as side supports for balance, each
have a double head and are purely mythical. This
abstract element serves to heighten the realism
of the scorpion. With remarkable skill a highly
talented goldsmith took raw gold and fashioned
it into something very beautiful and powerful;
revealing nature through myth and magic,
formed into an object of pure radiance.
- (FJ.6202)
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