Machalilla culture
 Location of the Machalilla culture | |
| Geographical range | Manabí |
|---|---|
| Period | Archaic |
| Dates | c.1500 - 1100 BCE |
| Preceded by | Valdivia culture |
| Followed by | Chorrera culture |
TheMachalillawere aprehistoric peopleinEcuador,in southernManabíand the Santa Elena Peninsula. The dates when the culture thrived are uncertain, but are generally agreed to encompass 1500BCEto 1100 BCE.[1]
Machalilla Culture[edit]
The Machalilla were anagriculturalpeople who also pursuedfishing,hunting and gathering.Like many prehistoric cultures of coastal Ecuador, the people practicedartificial cranial deformationby using stones to flatten and lengthen their skulls.[2]
Archaeologistsfocus on the unusualcemeteriesof the Machalilla, in which bodies were settled beneath a ceramic turtle shell,[3]and on theirceramic workin general, which represented artistic and technological advances in the art.[4]Grave sites located beneath the remains of Machalilla houses, without evidence ofgrave goods,have also been found.[5]The Machalilla are credited with adding to the ceramic bottle the stirrup spout, in which two spouts join into one opening: an invention that would be prominent in northwestSouth Americanpotteryfor centuries.[1]Archaeologists have also excavated ceramic pots, human figurines,[5]pitchers, whistles, and candlesticks from Machalilla digs.[citation needed]In terms of tools, fishhooks, stone saws, and a grinding stone have also been discovered.[5]
Time frame[edit]
The date range of the culture is obscured. It is sometimes listed as early as 1800 BCE and as late as 800 BCE.[3][4]One of the problems with determining the proper date range is the method of cultural termination. According to archaeologists Betty Meggers and Clifford Evans, the Machalilla culture was altered byMesoamericancontact until it blended into theChorrera culture.[6]
Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu SantoUEESin Guayaquil, Ecuador has a collection of Machalilla artifacts.[citation needed]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abTimeline of Art History: South America, 2000–1000 b.c.Met. Accessed August 2, 2007
- ^Ecuador/The Galapagos BackgroundArchived2009-01-07 at theWayback MachineLonely PlanetAccessed August 2, 2007.
- ^abExploring Ecuador: MachalillaAccessed August 2, 2007
- ^abPre-Columbian ArtEmbassy of Ecuador in Washington DC. Accessed August 2, 2007.
- ^abcMeggers, Betty J(1966). Daniel, Glyn (ed.).Ecuador.New York:Frederick A. Praeger, Inc.p. 50.
- ^Meggers, Betty J. and Clifford Evans. "The Machalilla Culture: An Early Formative Complex on the Ecuadorian Coast."American Antiquity,Vol. 28, No. 2 (Oct., 1962), pp. 186-192.
Sources and external links[edit]
- Exploring Ecuador: Machalilla(English)
- Ceramica Machalilla(Spanish)
- Machalilla- Casa del alabado, Quito-Ecuador (English)
- Machalilla- Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (English)