The first potters
El Molle culture’s ceramic tradition is the oldest in the Near North. Their pieces are typically brown or black, finely made and highly polished. Everyday utensils such as beautiful pitchers and bottles accompanied their owners to the grave. Some were engraved with geometric motifs, others were painted in red over a white background. The Diaguita ceramic tradition inherited the simple, symmetrical geometric designs of the El Molle style and elaborated them into highly complex ones.
Polished black bottles. El Molle.
Polished black bottles. El Molle.
Polished black engraved bottles. El Molle. Donación Santa Cruz-Yaconi, 2294.
Polished and bottle.
Bichrome bottle. El Molle,MCHAP,1918.
Bichrome bottle. El Molle,MCHAP,1920.
Polished black engraved bottles. El Molle. Donación Santa Cruz-Yaconi, 0699.
El Molle shaman. Illustration, José Pérez de Arce.