Guangala culture
The Guangala culture was a pre-Columbian archaeological culture in Ecuador that falls into the period of regional development . It existed between the 3rd century BC. BC and the 8th century and is characterized by the first processing of copper .
Geographical distribution
The main distribution area of the Guangala culture was the south of the Manabí province , the north of the Santa Elena province and the Guayas province, with a focus between the semi-arid sections of the Pacific coast and the fertile valleys of the Cordillera. Chongón Colonche . Recently, more sites have been discovered in the province of Los Ríos , in the coastal plain part of the province of Pichincha , in the north of Manabí and in the province of Esmeraldas .
Way of life
The people of the Guangala culture lived mainly from agriculture and fishing . They cultivated corn and gathered seafood , and deer were hunted further inland . The society was already based on a division of labor with fishermen, farmers, hunters, blacksmiths, weavers, etc. and some of the settlements already had semi-urban characteristics.
Stone artifacts
The Guangala culture left numerous stone implements such as chisels, scrapers, hammers and axes .
Ceramics and art
In ceramics for everyday use, the Guangala culture does not differ significantly from the other cultural groups of its period, but clearly in the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic sculptures. The quality of the ceramic objects and their execution is unique. The colors red, black and ocher were used for decoration ( three-colored Guangala ).
Metal processing
Copper is first used by the people of the Guangala culture in the coastal area of Ecuador. Towards the end of the culture stage, other metals are also processed, such as gold and platinum .