Tuamaco-La Tolita Culture, 700 BC to 300 AD.

Tuamaco-La Tolita Culture, 700 BC to 300 AD.
Provenance: English collection.
Terracotta
Height: 12 cm
The Tuamaco-La Tolita culture was located in the coastal region of Ecuador and Colombia. This statuette depicts a chieftain or shaman in the typical seated position with hands resting on the knees, wearing a headdress and adornments that denote high rank. The Tuamaco-La Tolita culture is one of the few cultures in which women are believed to have held important positions within the social structure, as they were depicted individually and with the characteristics of high-ranking dignitaries, separate from male figures and without apparent symbols of fertility—which were the most common depictions of women in these cultures. It is made of terracotta.