It is clear reaching the required heat could not of been a problem. To extract "float copper" if it was only this copper, and then melt it into a workable amount, indeed to work the copper as many of the copper artifacts are large.
Smelting was undoubtably known of in parts of South America, the Andes for instance. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Tin is only found as an ore. You can have a copper/lead bronze, lead can be found naturally but is extemely rare so that to would be from an ore. You could have copper/silver but that is billon and different to bronze.
The B, Columbia site has record of an iron knife from 1780?
Could possible smelting and working iron be found in corners like the Andean bronze. The materials are there. Look at these beautiful metal art objects from "Ancient Arts of the Andes" the Museum of Modern Art.
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