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 3500 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.
Bahia is closely related to the culture
known as
Jama Coaque, sharing a similar style and
common chronology. They inhabited the
forested hills lining the coast of
northern
Manabi. The city of San Isidro was
their cultural
and ceremonial center, featuring several
temples
surmounting a large pyramid. Similar to
the
Bahia, Jama Coaque is known for its
large
terracotta figures, typically sculptured
in a
variety actions and poses. Ceremonial
figures
are also well-know, typically formed
with the
arms held along their sides, palms
facing
outwards.
The pottery traditions in Ecuador are
some of the
oldest in the New World, with
discoveries of fired
ceramics dating to as early as 3000
B.C.,
evidencing a long pottery sequence in
this highly
innovative culture. This Manabi female
figure
from the Jama Coaque period demonstrates
the
Ecuadorian craftsmen's refined skill at
manipulating the medium and his creative
ability
to express heightened spirituality and
power. A
standing female figure faces us with
arms
outstretched, palms open, her womanly
attributes accentuated. A dynamic,
crested
turban with incised decorations adorns
her head,
while a nose ornament and heavy-lidded
eyes
give her facial expression a truly
mystical quality.
Whispers of orange and green paint
around her
patterned collar, neck and turban hint
at her
once-colorful image, serving now to
enhance her
mysterious nature. To behold this
spiritual
image of Pre-Columbian art is to imagine
her
outstretched arms wrapping themselves
around
us in a captivating embrace of ancient,
divine
emotion and wisdom.
