There’s a golden opportunity to get a glimpse of Central America’s rich tradition of metallic artistry. San Jose’s Galeria Nacional is showing off the "Gold of the Gods" until the end of this month.

The exhibition displays 37 golden replicas of artifacts produced in Colombia from 200 B.C. to 1600 A.D. While the gold is genuine, the pieces that make up the collection are copies of the originals kept in the Museum of Gold in Bogotá. 

Adorned with intricate designs, the objects all share a brilliant luster. Despite their beauty, the pieces weren’t produced solely to be admired. 

The statuettes, canteens, and vessels are believed to have been used in religious ceremonies. Forever a symbol of authority and power, the precious metal also was crafted into helmets, jewelry, masks, and chest plates, no doubt to be worn by members of the elite.

The refined craftsmanship of these works serves as a testament to the sophisticated techniques developed by various cultures throughout Colombia. These early goldsmiths are renowned the world over for their mastery of extracting gold, as well as for casting it and producing many kinds of pieces.

The metallic tradition is different there from that 

of Costa Rica, which reflects the Mayan and Valley of Mexico cultures in its gold found here.

The Colombian Vice Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mounted the exposition as "a way of recalling or restoring the people who inhabited the Americas in ancient times." 

Since opening June 30, the exhibition has drawn at least 120 visitors per day, according to Nora Garcia, assistant to the gallery’s director. The gold’s admirers have included Ticos, tourists and an especially high number of children due to their two-week school holiday ending Monday. 

Silvia Alvarado Quijano, a teacher in a Desamparados school, accompanied her third-grade class of 10 students Friday. Ms. Alvarado said that the display provides an important link to the past.

Potential looters, take note: Due to the high-value of the display, security at the gallery rivals that of Fort Knox. Visitors are first required to walk through a metal detector, flanked by two police officers, before undergoing a separate search administered by a museum security guard wielding a handheld detector.

The Galeria Nacional is located on the second floor of the Children’s Museum, just a nine-block walk from the National Park. The gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. Although entrance to the Galeria Nacional is free, a sign suggests a contribution of 200 colons.

ASUNCION, Paraguay —President Luis Gonzalez Macchi has declared a state of emergency for five days, giving the police special powers to control the outbreak of street violence. About 15 people were injured in violence that broke out in several cities Monday. 

The presidential decree gives Paraguayan security forces extra powers to quell any outbreaks of public violence this week. 

Several thousand protesters took to the streets Monday on the southern outskirts of the capital here and in other cities, leading to violence and clashes with police. Angry mobs also set up roadblocks on highways leading to Brazil and Argentina.

Edwin Britez, Paraguayan analyst, says economic problems in Paraguay are among the leading causes of the outbreak of violence. "This is happening as the economic situation in Paraguay is bad," he said. "There is also general discontent with President Macchi. It is also believed Gen. Lino Oviedo, who is in exile in Brazil because he is wanted here, and the opposition Liberal Party organized these protests to destabilize the government." 

Oviedo, a former military commander, is wanted in Paraguay on charges linked to the assassination of the country's vice-president in 1999. He has also been sentenced to 10 years in jail for a failed coup attempt in 1996. 

The opposition Liberal Party expressed support for the demonstrators, saying the country's economic situation is dismal. However, a group speaking for Oviedo denied his involvement. 

Brazil's Supreme Court has rejected Paraguay's request for his extradition, saying it is politically motivated.
 

Mexican standoff
ends peacefully

MEXICO CITY, México — A four-day standoff has ended in México after villagers fighting government plans to construct an airport on their land released all 19 of their hostages. 

Residents of the town of San Salvador Atenco freed the hostages in two groups Monday after authorities released a group of villagers who had been arrested last week in clashes with security forces. 

The machete-wielding residents staged violent protests last week. They threatened to kill the hostages in an effort to stop the government from expropriating their land to build the $2 billion, multi-runway airport. 

The villagers say they will also dismantle barricades on a roadway through San Salvador Atenco, outside of here.

State government officials say they will try to resolve the conflict. Government officials have offered to compensate the farmers for the loss of land. But many farmers say they will not sell their property at any price. 

Officials say the existing México City airport, which has two runways, is reaching saturation point and cannot be extended because it’s surrounded by residential areas.
 

Now you can mail
your Web page

MIAMI, Fla. — Would-be Web page designers scared silly by complex computer languages and technologies may have a helping hand. On Monday, Mia Interact, a Miami-based Internet company with an office in Costa Rica, announced the creation of a new Web site designed to simplify the way Web sites are produced.

The first mail-to-Web service of its kind, the Web site allows users to publish content, such as text, photos, and graphs, to the Internet using their existing e-mail applications. This function is especially useful for people who need to alter or update Web content frequently, said the company.

"We wanted to put website creation in the hands of the whole world, breaking all the economic and technological barriers," said Massimo Martinotti, president of Mia Interact.

More information about the service can be found at: www.witsites.com

Sept. 11 brought many changes to the United States, including a new awareness of immigration. After the terrorist attacks, President Bush approved admission for 70,000 refugees by September of this year. To date, only 11,000 have made it to the country, due in large part to increased security concerns.

The slowdown has taken a toll on Fargo, North Dakota, a popular destination for refugees. At a time when the northern state is struggling to maintain its population, refugees have been a welcomed addition. 

Kathy Thoreson directs the Center for New Americans in Fargo. She says no refugees have been linked to the September terrorist attacks, and that as a group, they present a low security risk. Refugees seeking asylum in the United States must go through extensive background checks by authorities.

Ms.Thoreson says after Sept. 11, new security measures were put in place, and now all those security checks are being repeated.  "Meaning the fingerprints," Ms. Thoreson says, "the background checks, all the security checks that the United States does in the other countries prior to coming and then to re-do certain things of those after they get here." 

Ms. Thoreson says it's frustrating for everyone involved because the process takes so long. Only 27 refugees have come to Fargo since October, a 90 percent decline from the same period a year ago.

Refugee advocates have enlisted the help of Earl Pomeroy, North Dakota congressman. He and other members of the state's congressional delegation wrote to President Bush, pointing out that refugees are a vital part of their state's economic development. 

"We have some significant work force issues in the growth areas of our state," Pomeroy said, "and that's why business leaders have talked to me about just how important it is we have new Americans as a component of growing the work force necessary."

Pomeroy says he's optimistic the number of refugees seeking asylum in the United States will increase. He says the Bush Administration is trying to expedite the process, but security remains the primary concern. 
 

Professional directory A.M. Costa Rica debuts this week its professional and service directory where business people who wish to reach the English-speaking community may provide a description of what they do. This is an appropriate place for medical professionals, real estate agents, contractors, lawyers, Web designers and similar. The assumption is that anyone advertising here has at least one staff member fluent in English. In most cases, English is the first or second language of the business. If you are interested in being represented here, please contact the editor. Dentists United States Dentist in Costa Rica: Dr. Peter S Aborn, Prosthodontics and general dentistry private practice. 25 years in New York City. 5 years in Costa Rica. Professor and director of postgraduate prosthodontics Universidad Latina de Costa Rica. Former chief of prosthodontics Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Education: N.Y.U College of Dentistry; Westchester County Medical Center; Eastman Dental Center; University of Rochester Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry. Location: 300 meters from the U.S. Embassy. Telephone: 232-9225. Cellular 379-2963. E-mail: jopetar@amnet.co.cr.  Lawyers American/Costa Rican attorney located in Costa Rica. Specializing in business law, commercial law, real estate sales, immigration law. Lic. Gregory Kearney Lawson. KEARNEY LAWSON & Asoc. Tel/Fax: (506) 221-9462 gkearney_lawson@hotmail.com  Legal and Consulting Specialists for Foreign Residents and Business Owners  • Reliable and Responsive • Excellent References Stafford, Obregón y Valle     • Consultants • Lawyers • Notaries Apdo. 11846-1000, San Jose, Costa Rica Tel: (506) 253-9655  Fax: (506) 280-4576  Cel: (506) 386-9324 E-mail: ulimar@costarica.net 7/16/02 Web design Professional Web site design and development in English, Spanish and Italian. Our services include: design and layout of Web site, search engine optimization and submission, Web site hosting, e-commerce solutions (sell your products on your website by accepting credit cards online), registration of domain names and professional Internet consulting. We have complete 'one price' Web site packages that include design, marketing and hosting at low prices and includes a listing on our Web sites.  Visit www.istarmedia.net or e-mail us at webmaster@istarmedia.net or call at 399-9642 7/16/02