Colombian handicraft history can be traced back to the Stone Age to the lithic instruments in El Abra stadial. Some of the first pottery samples known in Colombia date back to 3500 B.C. They were found in the Neolithic 3 — Pottery Neolithic (PN) Zipacón settlements. The earliest examples of goldwork have been attributed to the Tumaco people of the Pacific coast and date to around 325 BCE. Gold would play a pivotal role in luring the Spanish to the area now called Colombia during the 16th century.