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of Mexico City.  Wrote Duerer:

"Then I saw the things which were brought to the King out of the new Land of Gold:  an entire golden sun a full fathom wide, and likewise two chambers full of armour of the people there, likewise all kinds of wondrous things of their armour and weapons; most rare clothing, bedding and all sorts of marvelous objects for human use which are much more beautiful to behold than things spoken of in fairy tales.

These things were all so precious that they were valued at 100,000 guilders.  In all the days of my life I have seen nothing which so filled my heart with joy as these things.  For I saw among them wondrous artful treasures, and I marveled over the subtle genius of those men in strange countries. Yes, I cannot tell enough of the things which I saw there before me."

For further background see:

Junius B. Bird and Gordon F. Ekholm, Pre Columbian Gold Sculpture, The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1958.

Dudley T. Easby, Ancient American Goldsmiths, Natural History Magazine, Volume 65, October, 1956.

Samuel K. Lothrop, Archaeology of Southern Veraguas, Panama, Memoirs of the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Volume 9, No. 3, 1950.

S. K. Lothrop et al., Pre-Columbian Art:  Robert Woods Bliss Collection, New York, 1957.

Thirty-Two Works of Andean Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1955.