This culture settled in
the island of the same
name, "La tolita", in
the province of
Esmeraldas.
This culture left lots of
artificial mounds or
tolas, as well as
archaeological remains
of pottery and gold
work.
The economy
of La Tolita
was based on
Agriculture.
The predominant products were maize
and cassava. Also they practiced hunting
and the extraction of resources of the sea.
La Tolita was a society divided according
to the rank and position of persons.
Bahía
Bahía culture originated in what is
now the Manabí Province on the
Pacific Coast, and spread to Bahía de
Caráquez and to the Andean
foothills.
The culture Bahía was characterized
for the abundant production of
ceramics figures.They represented
men and women in diferent attitudes.
They were made in different sizes,
from small, pieces of art, to biggest
which were approximately 80cm.
They also made collars made out of
spondylus shells.
Its economy was based on
agriculture, fishing and long-distance
trade by sea and land.
Jama-Coaque
They settled in what is now
the town called "Jama" in
the province of Manabi.
They made trade
expeditons to Mexico and
Chile using canoes made
out of balsa wood.
They were skilled in creating various textiles,
made use of a number of tools in their daily lives
and were famous for their creative
ornamentation. Also theywere experienced in
creating ceramic pottery items.
It was ruled by religious leaders and divided into,
something like, councils.
The entire culture was lost when the Spanish
invaded Ecuador on a mission to conquer the
Inca Empire.
Guangala
Guangala culture
flourished in the
Ecuadorian provinces of
Manabi and Guayas.
The Guangala are the
first to work with
metals, especially
copper.
In this culture bowls, of very fine paste,
colored with delicacy, and polípodos dishes
with anthropomorphic representations on
their legs stand out.
The hallmarks of this culture are
numerous and predominantly flat or
plano-convex and contain a wide range of
shapes, that inevitably suggest the signs
of a pictographic language.
Napo
They were
located along
the Napo River
Their society, as other
cultures, had hierarchy. They
had a guide or leader who could
be a healer or the most
experienced of the group.
They made bowls, pitchers,
vases, but the most outstanding
pieces are funerary urns.
Everything made out of
ceramics