Cultural Identity, Transition, and Interaction at Salango, Coastal Ecuador: A Study of Pottery from the Early Regional Development Funerary Precinct

Abstract

The Early Regional Development (100 BC-AD 300) funerary precinct at Salango, on the central coast of Ecuador, was situated at the point of convergence of the Bahía II and Early Guangala culture zones. With plentiful line drawings and colour photographs, this book uses pottery from the precinct to present a detailed and closely contextualized description of Early Regional Development ceramic traditions for coastal Ecuador. As a result, we gain valuable insights into the dynamics of cultural identity, transition, and interaction as manifest in a highly structured pottery assemblage from a key Pre-Columbian site of this area. Attention is brought to designs made with the two principal decorative modes: iridescent paint on serving wares and red finger paint designs on kitchen wares. Assemblage analysis points to the complex set of cultural factors and processes involved in its composition, and an important local ceramic tradition is identified for the first time. Spanish summaries are included for each chapter.