ABSTRACT
A detailed study of approximately 4500 zoomorphic pieces in the Gold Museum of Bogota reveals that numerous figures wrought in stone, ceramics, and gold represent the bat and demonstrates the essential role played in Tairona culture by that small nocturnal mammal. The bat in Tairona art is represented either alone or associated with man, when the body is human and the head is bat-like. The bat symbolizes menstruation, since it 'sucks blood'. The jaguar of Kogi mythology and the bat in Tairona archaeological material are both masculine and are associated with the serpent, symbol of evil. Images of the bat are not only common, they are also found on objects such as the complex and eye-catching gold pectorals and pendants, where the bat is often depicted in combination with the human figure. In Colombia alone some 145 species of bat have been identified.
