Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

Cultures > Arid North > Pica

Art

The Pica people are perhaps most well known for their geoglyphs, but they also produced notable examples of rock art, leaving behind engraved boulders (petroglyphs) at many sites. The images they engraved depict significant aspects of the Pica’s domestic and ceremonial lives, and include animals, anthropomorphic figures and geometric shapes. The typical Pica ceramic style is red-washed monochromatic and decorated with appliqués of molded anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures. Pica textiles were multicolored and included bulky mantas and unku tunics. These groups were also skilled in leathercraft, making bodices and quivers, and in basketmaking.