From San Agustín to Montreal: The Extraordinary Journey of a Stone-Carved Figure

This figure is one of a vast ensemble of statues sculpted in the Upper Valley of the Magdalena River in the first millennium of the Common Era, otherwise known as the Regional Classic Period (100-900 CE). During this period, the local population built burial mounds consisting of stone-lined corridors covered in earth. Sculptures like the one visiting Montreal were placed inside these tombs, typically near the entrance or on either side of the central corridor. The greatest concentration of megalithic tombs are found within a 300 km² radius of the municipalities of Isnos and San Agustín, which is why these sculptures are often referred to as belonging to the “San Agustín” style or culture.²

Each mound, or group of mounds, were encircled by domestic structures, which raises the possibility that the close proximity of living and burial zones served to anchor the communities to their land.³ Due to the destructive effects of looting, and of the soil’s acidity, the bones of the interred have been ill-preserved, and we have scant information to help us identify the persons they belonged to.⁴ However, the more elaborate nature of these tombs, compared to the simple burial pits found elsewhere in the region, suggests they were reserved for highly respected members of the community. Status appears not to have been based on an accumulation of riches, but rather the knowledge held by a certain few and their capacity to communicate with the ancestors and spiritual powers of the cosmos.⁵

Some 500 such statues have been accounted for to date.⁶ Each is unique, though they share certain common features. The San Agustín figures are monolithic, sculpted from local volcanic rock, and were buried inside the tombs. They often represent front-facing figures whose heads are oversized in proportion to their bodies.⁷ The sculptures were also once polychrome, but the yellow, red, black and white pigments have in many cases long since disappeared.⁸ In terms of iconography, the various humans, animals or hybrids represented have been the object of varied interpretations that make reference to shamanistic practices and the conception of the cosmos held by the Indigenous peoples of Colombia.⁹ The sculpture exhibited at the MMFA, with their anthropomorphic form and feline fangs, is particularly typical of the San Agustín style. The fangs may indicate the process of transformation from human to animal. Likewise, the figure’s round, dilated eyes may allude to the practice of consuming psychotropic substances, which could have facilitated such a metamorphosis.

Around the end of the first millennium, the inhabitants of the Upper Magdalena Valley entered a transitional period and ceased to produce monumental stone sculptures. The first written accounts of the megalithic tombs of San Agustín come from the Spanish missionary Fray Juan de Santa Gertrudis, who related the opening and looting of graves in the course of his 1757 travels in the region. Several scientific expeditions were conducted in the same region throughout the 19th century, however it wasn’t until 1913-1914, with the work of ethnologist Konrad Theodor Preuss, that the first archaeological digs commenced.¹⁰

Prior to these first formal digs, President Rafael Reyes demanded the transfer of two statues to Bogotá in 1906 – one of which is the work discussed in this article. The statues would be presented in the Exposición Agrícola e Industrial in 1907 and in the exhibition marking the centenary of Colombia’s independence in 1910.¹¹ These events were meant to promote national pride and unity, but neither made mention of the Indigenous peoples and their accomplishments, either ancient or contemporary.¹² Installed as they were in the Parque de la Independencia, without contextualization, it is likely the San Agustín statues were chosen for their monumental scale as a means to extol the glory of the country. They remained in the park until 1968, when they were transferred to the Museo del Oro.¹³

Since the turn of the 20th century, numerous institutions, laws and museums have been created to encourage archaeological research and foster the protection of Colombia’s cultural heritage.¹⁴ Beyond this national interest, the works also hold local importance. In southwestern Colombia, Indigenous populations like the Nasa have long maintained a certain distance, if not distrust, with regards to archaeological sites and objects. This is likely due in part to the influence of the Catholic Church and, in particular, its campaigns to “eradicate idolatry” among Indigenous populations. These attitudes are steadily changing, as seen in the efforts being made by various communities to reclaim the works of the ancestors who shaped the history of their land.¹⁵

Archaeologists and museums, which have too often contributed to the narrative that tends to sever past from present, now have a role to play in bringing attention to and reviving works that were created hundreds if not thousands of years ago. Collaborations with Indigenous partners are essential to achieving this goal – and was the approach used in developing this exhibition. The hybrid being that has come to visit us in Montreal was separated over a hundred years ago from the place and the people they were meant to accompany. Nevertheless, they continue to speak to us about their land and the human and non-human beings that inhabited it then and still live there now.

Learn more about the exhibition Portable Universe: Thought and Splendour of Indigenous Colombia

In an article published upon the show’s opening, Erell Hubert, curator of the Montreal presentation, tells us how this extraordinary project came to be and offers a glimpse into the exhibition’s unique presentation.

Read the article