In the Philippines, the 10th to 14th centuries were years of political, economic, and social progress, when primary artistic and scientific development occurred. Unearthed gold ornaments manifest a rich material culture dating at least 300 years before the Spanish arrived in our islands. Of the metal’s abundance, the Spanish explorers who landed on the islands in the 16th century noted, “Pieces of gold, the size of walnuts and eggs, are found by sifting the earth in the island.” As gold was plentiful, ancient Filipinos mastered gold working and created splendid works of art that are exquisite demonstrations not only of the skillful mastery of metallurgy, physics, chemistry, and other sciences, but also of political, cultural, economic, religious, and artistic expressions.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas presents key pieces from the BSP Pre-colonial gold collection to provide insight into a remarkable past and ancestry that all Filipinos can be proud of.
