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La Tolita
(ca. 600 a.C. – 400 d.C.)
 La
Tolita culture inhabited a vast littoral zone that includes
several ecological niches, from the mouth of the River Esmeraldas
to the Bay of Buenaventura in Colombia. The society was very
stratified, with political and religious levels at the top.
The ordinary subsistence activities were agriculture hunting,
fishing and gathering of molluscs and herbal food.
The great ceremonial center in the island of La Tolita was
the most important ideological, cultural and economical nucleus.
People resorted to this place from very different regions
to worship their gods. These the faithfull community shared
in religious ceremonies and buried the dead. The result was
an extraordinary development of luxurious artisanship that
embraces offerings to the gods, festive attires and funeral
apparels.
The potters of this culture made earth jars and ceramic figurines
that sometimes show a superb baroque style. The goldsmiths
produced unique ornaments of gold, silver, platinum, tumbaga
(alloy of copper and gold), and copper. The carvers worked
objects out of bone, precious and semi-precious stones.
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