Crown of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, known as the Crown of the Andes Ca. 1660 (diadem) and ca. 1770 (arches) Colombian; Popayán Spaniards arriving in sixteenth-century South America encountered a rich and complex indigenous tradition of gold working that had developed over the course of millennia. Many, if not most, Precolumbian works in gold were melted down in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, their precious metal repurposed for new religious and secular leaders both in Spain and the Americas.This crown was made to adorn a sacred image of the Virgin Mary venerated in the cathedral of Popayán (Colombia). A symbol of the Virgins divine queenship, the crown is encircled by golden vinework set with emerald clusters in the shape of flowers, a reference to her purity. The diadem is topped by imperial arches and a cross-bearing orb that symbolizes Christs dominion over the world.Although the practice was controversial, it was common to bestow lavish gifts, including je