The Bahía culture (500 BCE–500 CE) was a
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
culture in
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
.
["Chirije-Ecuador."]
(retrieved 3 May 2011)
Bahía culture originated in what is now the
Manabí Province
Manabí () is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Portoviejo. The province is named after the Manabí people.
Demographics
Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census of 2010:
*Mestizo 66.7%
* Montubio 19.2%
* Afro-Ecuadorian 6.0%
*White 7 ...
on the Pacific Coast, and spread to
Bahía de Caráquez
Bahía de Caráquez, officially known as San Antonio de Caraquez and founded under the name of Villa de San Antonio de la Bahía de Caráquez or simply known today as Bahía, formerly called Bahía de los Caras during the period of the Spanish co ...
and to the Andean foothills. Their ceramic tradition is one of the first found north of the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
.
"La Bahia."
''History of Ecuador.'' (retrieved 3 May 2011)
Chirije, a seaport, was a major Bahía archaeological site discovered by Emilio Estrada in the 1950s. Merchants traded finished goods and '' Spondylus princeps'' or red spiny oyster shells south to Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
and north as far as Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
in exchange for precious materials such as copper and gold.[
File:Bahia big-nose figurines.JPG, Big-nose figurines
File:Bahia neck-rest 2.JPG, Neck rest
File:Bahia orejera.JPG, Ear plug
File:Bahia sorceror's cauldron.JPG, Sorcerer's cauldron
File:Bahia witch or shaman sculpture.JPG, Witch or shaman sculpture
]
See also
*Pre-Columbian Ecuador
Pre-Columbian Ecuador included numerous indigenous cultures, who thrived for thousands of years before the ascent of the Incan Empire. Las Vegas culture of coastal Ecuador is one of the oldest cultures in the Americas. The Valdivia culture in t ...
Notes
External links
Bahía (archaeological culture) artworks
National Museum of the American Indian
Prehistory of Ecuador
Indigenous peoples of the Andes
Pre-Columbian cultures
{{ecuador-stub