Key Concepts

Come Prepared

Teaching in the Exhibition

Be an Exhibition Explorer

Map of the Exhibition

Back in the Classroom

Gold in Many Forms

Mixing Metals

Connections to Other Museum Halls

Glossary & Reference Lists

Standards Correlations

Credits

Connections to Other Museum Halls

A journey through the Museum is a great way to explore the science of precious metals and their role in culture.

Guggenheim Hall of Minerals and Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems
Compare gold to other minerals, elements, and metals among the natural treasures displayed in these halls. Near the entrance, explore mining implements from the California gold rush. Look for other precious metals, "fool's gold" (pyrite), and a video on gold. Students can use Explore Gold and Other Precious Metals in the Halls of Minerals and Gems (2.7mb) to continue their investigation. Middle and high school students can tour the halls independently following the highlighted stops, while the Explore More section is geared towards elementary school students.

Hall of South American Peoples
See how precious metals were buried with high-status members of society in an extraordinary Peruvian tomb. You'll also see the tools and techniques pre-Columbian peoples used to extract South American gold and shape it into the objects for which these cultures are renowned. Students can use Explore Gold and Other Precious Metals in the Hall of South American Peoples (2.7mb) to continue their investigation. Middle and high school students can tour the halls independently following the highlighted stops, while the Explore More section is geared towards elementary school students.

Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth
Enter the Hall of Planet Earth off the Central Park West first floor entrance. Along the left ramp you can compare three samples of important natural resources—gold ore, coal, and salt—and find remarkable examples of metallic vein deposits in rocks. Beyond the ramp are diagrams of the rock and water cycles that help drive the deposition of metal-rich deposits.

Hall of African Peoples
Gold figures prominently in Ghana's Asante society. See the display case labeled "Divinity and Authority," situated on the opposite side of the Mbuti diorama. Examine the elaborate brass weights and scales used to weigh gold, and the containers used to store gold dust.

Hall of Mexico and Central America
View the luminous hallmarks of status in pre-Columbian Mexico, Panama, and the "rich coast"—Costa Rica—in the central case of this hall.