Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

Cultures > Semi-arid North > Diaguita

Arte

In artistic terms, the Diaguita are known above all for their distinctive ceramics, which feature two-colored geometric designs applied on a base of a third color. This kind of decoration is found on a variety of vessels they produced, such as pots, urns, duck-shaped pitchers, and bowls. The Diaguita’s highly complex designs are thought to be representations of shamanic visions; many of their vessels bear feline motifs or people with feline features. Apart from ceramics, the Diaguita also produced some of the geometric designs and mask forms found in the rock art of the region.