Among the most prominent cultures that flourished in the wake of the Chorrera are the cultures of Bahia, Jama Coaque, and La Tolita. Around 400 B.C. the culture of La Tolita emerged, centered on the island of La Tolita, from which its name derived, lasting until roughly 400 A.D. The island was a great ceremonial center to which flocked worshippers from varying regions of Pre-Columbian Ecuador to pray to their gods and bury their deceased. As a result, a sophisticated artistic tradition developed in order to provide pilgrims with sculptural offerings, luxurious festive attire and funerary apparels.
This stout woman figure from the La Tolita region of Ecuador carries a message of fertility.