Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

Cultures > Semi-arid North > Early Ceramicists of Choapa

Art

These groups were the first in Choapa province to produce ceramics. They manufactured small vessels with narrow mouths, well-fired and durable so they were less likely to be broken or lost while being constantly carried around. The necks of some pieces had decorative fields and rims with incised geometric motifs. Rock art that has been attributed to the Choapa groups generally consists of engravings of anthropomorphic masks, simple human figures and naturalist camelid images, although in somewhat rigid and schematic form.