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Pre-Columbian Jewelry
The ready availability of gold accounts for the large amount of
jewelry made in South America and Mexico before the Spanish
conquest of 1532. South American metalworking began in the Andes
and gradually spread north to Mexico. Intricate casting
techniques were used for personal and ceremonial ornaments. The
themes were almost exclusively religious, with an emphasis on
masks. Mosaic inlays featuring turquoise originated in Peru
before 700 AD and were common in Mexican jewelry by the 14th
century. A characteristic object was the breast ornament, often
constructed out of hammered and cast elements soldered or
riveted together and enriched with cast thread decoration. A
Chavin piece features a mask flanked by animal heads and
pendants (Museum of the American Indian, New York City).
Necklaces of turquoise, shell, and other beads and earrings and
earplugs were also common. The Maya in Mexico preferred
earplugs, pendants, and bracelets of jade.
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