The Quimbaya Treasury that is part of the national heritage and which has not been able to be rescued from Spanish hands

To understand the importance of the Quimbaya Treasure and the reason for the need to keep it in the country, it must be said that this collection is made up of 122 pieces, being one of the most important of the pre-Columbian era, showing the intellectual and material wealth of this tribe.

Narigueras, necklaces, earrings, crowns, vessels, musical instruments and poporos make up this compendium of gold pieces that have distinguished the guinea pigs from the rest of the indigenous communities that existed before the time of La Conquista. It was found after that 1878, the year when the Quindian municipality of Finland was founded, with the aim of seeking fertile land for agricultural work.

Twelve years later, in 1890, a group of guaqueros discovered several pieces on a section of the road that connected young Filandia with the town of Quimbaya, all of them buried in what appeared to be two indigenous tombs. It was a fundamental finding for the history of Colombia, since it strengthened its cultural wealth in relation to the first communities that inhabited the lands that, after the arrival of Columbus, became known as the New World.

But what happened next was more of a loss than an offering, all sponsored by the then president, Carlos Holguín (1888-1892). In her last year of office, this collection, called Tesoro Quimbaya, was addressed to Queen Maria Cristina of Habsburg to be exhibited as part of the 400th anniversary of the Discovery of America, held in Madrid. Subsequently, and on the initiative of the president, all the pieces were presented to the queen because of Spain's mediating role in relations between Colombia and Venezuela and the border conflict from which this country was badly spared.

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The process that has come to naught to recover the Quimbaya Treasury

130 years have passed since the treasure has not returned to its homeland, where it was manufactured and buried by its creators. However, in October 2017, the Constitutional Court took into account the tutelage filed by Antonio José Rengifo (professor at the National University) and Felipe Rincón Salgado, where they claimed that the delivery of this collection by President Holguín was illegal, and if the high court agrees with them and they consider their arguments, the Colombian State will have to claim each of the pieces that make up that treasure.

In fact, the Court ruled in favor of that popular action through judgment 649 of 2017, ordering the national executive to take the necessary steps to repatriate, through the Foreign Ministry, the treasure that is considered one of the most important assets found in Colombia. But despite the request, the outgoing government did not do such tasks, and the incoming one less.

In fact, in 2020, the Quindio History Academy filed a formal request to President Iván Duque to expedite the repatriation procedures, in compliance with the provisions of the sentence. According to several academics and anthropologists, with the absence of this material in the country, important research on the archaeological understanding of the Quimbaya tribe is lost, in addition to the symbolism it represents for the Nation.

In response to this request, the Government of Spain affirmed, for the first time since the Court's ruling, that it will not return the treasury, arguing that it is, now, a national asset of cultural interest that prevents a “alienation or export”. In addition, they indicated that the pieces belong to the collections of the Museo de América, in Madrid, where the collection now stands since it was handed over by President Holguín Mallarino.

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