The Pre-Columbian cultures of Ecuador are
among the oldest in South America and among
the first to master the art of pottery. Although
we know little about the peoples themselves or
their traditions, historians have been able to
piece together a picture of life in Ancient
Ecuador thanks in part to the art and artifacts left
behind. The culture of Valdivia created some of
the oldest known works of art in the Americas.
Situated along the coastal strip of Ecuador, the
Valdivians established a thriving society that
flourished for around two thousand years (from
approximately 4000 to 1500 B.C.). Today they
are famed for their small fertility figures,
believed to be the earliest representational works
of art in the Americas, first carved from stone,
later formed from terracotta.
Hundreds of years later after the Valdivians
disappear from the archaeological record
appears another culture to which the name
Chorrera has been attached (lasting from circa
1100-300 B.C.). Little is known about this
culture;
however, it is significant for its widespread
geographical reach. As such, their artistic style
greatly influenced those diverse cultures that
began to emerge in the final centuries of the
Chorrera period, a time historians have labeled
the Period of Regional Development.
Among the most prominent cultures that
flourished in the wake of the Chorrera are the
cultures of Bahia, Jama Coaque, and La Tolita.
Around 200 B.C., the Bahia developed along the
coastal strip in the modern province of Manabi,
lasting until approximately 600 A.D. Their
earliest terracotta works were greatly indebted to
the Chorrera; however, over the years a
distinctive style emerged characterized by large
figures adorned with detailed dress and body
ornamentation.
This animal effigy vessel from
the Bahia period reveals the Ecuadorian
craftsman’s' refined skill at manipulating the
medium and his creative ability to express
spirited charm and beauty. Here we experience a
vessel in the form of a delightful animal, perhaps
a rodent, seated on his haunches with arms
outstretched as if to embrace the universe. His
elongated head, with its coffee-bean eyes and
tiny rounded ears, serves as a portion of the
vessel's handle, which is attached to a tall narrow
spout rising from the animal's back. As we
observe the handle we notice a hole at the base
which surprisingly allows for the vessel to serve
as a whistle. If we listen carefully perhaps we can
hear the melodic sounds of the ancient past
issuing forth from this delightful animal, whose
open arms and enchanting spirit beg to embrace
us.
