The gold jewelry from Central and South America had many functions and was a highly significant artistic and ritualistic element of society. Important and wealthy individuals wore them during their lifetime, and then were interred with them so they could be taken on the journey into the afterlife.

Some scholars have suggested stylistic similarities between Calima gold figures and stone sculptures found at San Agustín, an archaeological site in west-central Colombia.

Three societies —Ilama, Yotoco-Malagana, and Sonso— occupied the Cauca Valley region in west-central Colombia. The three societies are known collectively as the Calima culture.