Tumbaga

A tumbaga pectoral girdle of the Quimbaya culture; 300–1600 AD

Tumbaga is the name given by Spanish Conquistadors for a non-specific alloy of gold and copper, and metals composed of these elements. Pieces made of tumbaga were widely found in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica in North America and South America.

The term is a borrowing from the Tagalog tumbaga. This came from Malay tembaga, meaning 'copper' or 'brass'.[1] It has also been spelled tumbago in literature.[2]

  1. ^ "tumbaga", Wiktionary, 2022-07-27, retrieved 2023-01-06
  2. ^ Fester, G. A. (1962). "Copper and Copper Alloys in Ancient Argentina". Chymia. 8: 21–31. doi:10.2307/27757215. JSTOR 27757215.