No longer is it sufficient to classify gold by areas or archaeological styles. Nor can it stand alone or be left without any link to the pottery or stone objects of the area it comes from. Talking of Zenú or Quimbaya gold, today, is simply not enough. Because each of these cultures changed gradually over the years, over the centuries, resulting in different versions of objects being produced, or objects taking on different meanings or serving different functions with the passing of time. Cultures were not static, they moved around various parts of the country, depending on the alliances they made or the contact they had with other communities. And this, without any doubt, led to stylistic and functional changes in objects. And it also explains why any attempt to place a gold artefact as coming from a single period of time or to give it a single meaning is not only incorrect but also a simplistic approach.

These ideas - which have been put forward by Gold Museum archaeologists who have been studying the subject and the theories behind them for years, and also looking at the way museums of this thematic type present themselves around the world - meant that when the new museum was being planned, the fundamental aim was determined as being to show the multiplicity of ways that a gold, pottery, textile or stone object can be viewed, in a contemporary context.

Transverse views across these objects thus mean that the technological complexity of their construction has to be explored, as well as their ritual nature, where the 'flight of the shaman' theme goes a long way to explaining how these societies condensed their thought and view of the cosmos into objects and the forces of good and evil. And their respective payment to nature in gold, through the offering, so that the balance might be regained that was lost when the precious metals were extracted from the ground.

The thematic units of the new museum will therefore be as described below.

Man finds that metal is the first material that changes its form when it comes into contact with fire. Once he realises he can manipulate it, it will become an indispensable part of his life. Today he uses metals to build his cities, to move around - by car, train or plane, to exchange his goods - money, to conquer new planets - rockets, to communicate - antennas, to embellish himself, marvel and contemplate - art, and even to kill - weapons. From now on, metals will be an essential element in modern man's existence.

Goldwork production has been a feature of Latin America for around 1,500 years, in different societies and areas stretching back to pre-Hispanic times, and a history of metallurgy is therefore essential to understanding the experiences of the different indigenous communities. This is scientific work, chemical and physical analyses of objects in order to relate them to anthropology, archaeology and history.

The aim is for metallurgical technology to be viewed from a whole new social perspective, one that is not only set in the field of metallurgy but also where fundamental social elements are involved. Because technology is a cultural action, one where man makes certain choices about what he is going to do. These decisions mean more power, more politics, and more religious symbols behind what might appear to be a simple object. And therefore a much more anthropological view of the technology question.

Thus, and without exaggerating the achievements of Colombian metallurgy (the idea that we were the greatest inventors in the pre-Hispanic world), since all styles are based on a number of lost-wax casting and hammering manufacturing techniques and the achieving of a gilded finish by oxidation, there were nevertheless certain local innovations: (1) in the Nariño region, various metals were used rather than just the usual copper-gold alloy, such as pure copper, where the metallurgy was more difficult and sophisticated. Or the use just of bronze. (2) Tumaco: use of platinum, without casting, mixed with gold. Not to mention scraping the metal to produce other colours (like the discs that can be seen in the rooms). (3) The use of matrices (moulds) in the eastern Andean range. (4) Chocó: use of special welds.

Studied from south to north, the direction in which metallurgy developed in the country, this unit attempts to portray the reason why some social groups worked metals while others did not, or why some did so but with characteristics that were totally unlike those of their neighbours. These introductory graphs, maps and panels will be seen to be accompanied by artefacts made of materials other than metal, such as pottery, textiles, bone, shells, wood and stone, also mummies, so that the contexts can be understood in which gold objects were made, along with practical materials and related rituals.

The first signs can also be glimpsed of the ritual and symbolic world that surrounds these remains, one that is closely linked to the social structure of a particular community. Those who exercise power, how one comes to be a spiritual leader, how the different social and political hierarchies develop, who worships, and what objects are used for this, and why.

Goldwork is an open invitation to search for the symbolic world that lies behind objects. However, this world of symbols is closely linked to the culture's religion, politics and economy, a whole that includes all aspects of social development, because it refers to views of the cosmos where everything comes together and every aspect of daily life is related. This is the indigenous view of the cosmos, a line of thought that brings together the social organisation, politics and environmental relations of the community, and makes it possible for people to identify where they belong in the world. .

A world that was conceived as consisting of three vertical spheres - the one above, the one in the middle, and the underworld - where the role that humans played was to seek and find a point of equilibrium between the three different strata: nature, the gods, and "the others" - people. Because we have to try and understand that these cultures based their concepts and associations around nature, plants, stars and animals, all of which became relatives, and this is why respect for nature was fundamental, abuse of it non-existent. Abuse would have been showing a lack of respect for a member of the community, a relative; the accumulation and excess of resources was not considered right and proper, and that is why these were appropriated from the environment in a highly respectful manner.

Following the perspectivism theory, an attempt is made to comprehend the transformation of man into an animal, so as to understand this whole, 'total' nature of the indigenous world. Transformation was achieved by means of hallucinogenic rituals and conscience transformers.

Attaining this knowledge, being in these superior states of mind, possessing power, means being able to mediate between the malignant and immaterial forces of the underworld, in this case represented in the form of beings from 'down under', such as bats. It is the shaman who has the task of achieving this balance of forces in favour of the people. A member of the spiritual and social elite who has the power to control fertility in nature and travel in his mind to other worlds.

And since there is an explanation for everything in the indigenous world, the shaman can gain access to other dimensions by altering his consciousness. He thereby manages to create a universe of negotiation, one where he can meet divinities, get things for his community, or pay for the use of natural resources by means of offerings. The offering becomes a sort of agreement the shaman makes with the forces of evil while he is in a trance. And gold becomes the compensation, which restores the harmony that was broken. The offering is the payment for restoring the balance between the worlds. This is why it is a necessary scenario to complete the cycle, when metal has been extracted from the ground. And as such, a symbolic end, before the whole cycle commences once more.