Seventeen centuries of ceramic making in the Araucanía region
Around A.D. 300, the Pitrén, a horticultural-gatherer culture, became the first to make ceramics in southern Chile. Later, the agricultural El Vergel people, who lived between the Biobío and Toltén rivers, crafted pottery decorated with red geometric figures on a white background. After the Spanish arrived, European features were incorporated and the tradition transformed into what is known as the Valdivia style. The Mapuches continue this cultural tradition today, employing the ancient ceramic forms and techniques of their ancestors.
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Seventeen centuries of ceramic making in the Araucanía region
Seventeen centuries of ceramic making in the Araucanía region
Anthropomorphic vessel
Mapuche
MCHAP, 1425
Male-shaped figure vessel
Pitrén, 400-1400 d.C.
MCHAP, 1885
Male-shaped figure vessel
Pitrén, 400-1400 d.C.
MCHAP, 1885
Anthropomorphic vessel
Mapuche
MCHAP, 1425
“Duck-shaped” pitcher. Mapuche. MCHAP,1509
Bichrome jugs. Valdivia. Donation Santa Cruz-Yaconi, 3154. MCHAP,3067
Bichrome jugs. Valdivia. Donation Santa Cruz-Yaconi, 3154. MCHAP,3067
Bichrome jug. Detail.
Donation Santa Cruz-Yaconi,3154
Bichrome jug. Valdivia. Detail.
Donation Santa Cruz-Yaconi,3154
Pitcher
Bichrome pitcher
Valdivia, 1600-1800 d.C.
MCHAP, 2514
Family group, El Vergel culture. Illustration, José Pérez de Arce.