Central and South America

Our collection also includes Pre-Columbian pottery and ceramics from the post classic periods of Peru’s Incan cultures, the Coclé peoples of Costa Rica, and Mexico’s Casas Grandes. We also have ceramic figurines from Michoacan, Colima and Nayarit in western Mexico and Columbia’s Quimbaya culture. Primarily made for utilitarian purposes, the indigenous cultures of Central and South America like Pueblo potters of the Southwestern US used coiling techniques and pit firing. Common forms range from water vessels, food containers, urns, incense burners, and human effigies. Often the designs were purely ornamental, employing sacred animals and floral patterns, however it was also quite common to illustrate historical events and characters, such as military conquests, ascensions and royal tributes.