11. Burial of the Dead

When the Spaniards arrived in the region occupied by the Sinú, in 1534, they discovered that the greatest source of gold was in ancestral burial mounds. The looting of tombs became their main occupation, and up to the modern era, guaquería [robbing of ancient sites] has been the chief source of ancient Colombian goldworks. As a result, details about the age and origin of many beautiful treasures-and the customs and values of the people who made them-have been discarded or lost.