By: Valdivia natives of Ecuador (3500 B.C. – 1800 B.C.)

The clay figurines exhibited are of the Valdivia women of Ecuador around 3500 B.C. Although the faces were simple, their unique expressions and flowing hair were accentuated in detail. They were made by pressing two long pieces of clay together for sculpting the body while a slab at the top became the boxed-hair look. The colors were both red and the natural tint of clay. The figurines on display were all female and had long hair which shows that the Valdivia females most likely kept their hair lengthy. The female bodies were standing upright with plump breasts, straight shoulders, and heads raised. Another themed characteristic of this particular set of figurines is that the arms are crossed over the belly.

As the figurines are female, they may be made to represent fertility, production, or agricultural development. In particular, the arms crossed over the belly suggest an association with the womb and fertility. The Valdivia culture may have involved the use of these figurines in agricultural rituals and calling for rain. Several from the collection were found to be intentionally broken revealing that the breaking of these figurines may have been a ritual. However, there are missing pieces to what we have discovered about the Valdivia natives, including when their culture came to a definite end. In reference to Native American culture, the figurines standing with poise show reverence to the female body and agriculture success.

In finding these clay figurines, it was revealed that the Valdivia culture created the oldest-known pottery of the Western Hemisphere and the oldest-known figurines in the Americas. The origin of ceramic production, still used today, can be traced back to these Native Americans who lived in the Americas thousands of years ago. This practice may have started individually in different cultures or spread through trade and cultural interaction.