Somewhere in South America there must be a major museum closed for renovations, since suddenly museums around the world are having a gold bonanza (there is also one on in Canberra at the moment). We went to see the British Museum one on the weekend. They had a lot of stuff, but that's always true of the British Museum, you just wish they added a bit of history to what they have as well. You would think being the curator of the British Museum would be one of the most sought after jobs in that space, so you would think they would have someone who could put a little more effort in.
Don't get me wrong the audio guide was quite good and there were definitely descriptions around what you were seeing. It could have just done with a bit more broader historical context, what was happening in the areas around these people, a bit of a timeline as to what happened to them, how the different groups interacted, perhaps a bit more on their culture. It would also have been great to see some reconstructions. These people must have looked unbelievable to the Spanish invaders, they would have been covered in gold, with gold headresses, massive gold earrings and gold jewellery hanging from their noses. They also bound parts of their bodies and practised scarification, so to the invaders they must have looked amazing.
It would have been nice if we could have got a better sense of what a typical village would have looked like. To try and get a sense of what it would have been like to come across this completely alien culture, that has now been lost to us.
At the moment you see this exhibit and you come away wishing for a bit more meat, that you had learnt something rather than just seeing a lot of pretty gold objects.
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