ATACAME CULTURE: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS AND CUSTOMS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Atacame culture took place on the north coast of Ecuador. The Atacames are divided into two epochs, the early Atacames (700-1100 AD) and the late Atacames (1100-1526 AD). Its major development center was at the mouth of the Esmeraldas River.

The Atacames are descendants of the Teaone and Tolita cultures, which existed in the coastal area. They had a political organization based on hierarchies, in which there was a chief who was generally the oldest and strongest of the inhabitants, called a cacique. He guided the commercial transactions of the tribe and administered justice in the group.

Basically its economy was based on the trade of fishing, shellfish and corn planting. In addition, archaeological work has revealed that the Atacames were also excellent workers in the metallurgy and textile sector.

Ecuadorian archeology has found important evidence of the Atacame work corresponding to the late period. Said evidence has been collected through the "Esmeraldas Project".

On the shores of the Atacame coast there are still 65 mounds and remains of what were their settlements. These spaces are protected by the State and are a source of massive visits every year.

The Atacame settlements evolved from small villages in their initial period to large populations of about five thousand inhabitants. They were dense and compact populations that were located between the north coast and the Esmeraldas River.

It is estimated that by the end of the pre-Hispanic period its population reached between thirteen thousand and nineteen thousand inhabitants.

Atacames culture history

The Atacames are one of the aboriginal cultures that took place in northern Ecuador and that there are records of it since 700 AD

Many of the cultures that the Spaniards encountered were not ancestral or unique, they were the product of the union of previous cultures that adhered due to territorial and demographic issues.

The Atacame culture comes from the union of the Teaone and Tolita peoples. Groups that resided in the Ecuadorian coast and that, finally, were integrated to give way to the Atacame culture. This aspect was essential to acquire new traditions and modify the group's economy.

According to the chroniclers of the area, the caciques controlled the trade in blankets, potteries, beads and goldsmiths. There was also a type of tax charged by the "regional lords" for working on that land.

For this reason the attackers are known as merchants. They sold or exchanged objects that they manufactured themselves, paid taxes and the surplus was distributed among the community.

Around the year 1200, in the late Atacame period, the population doubled, an aspect that led to a change in the way of producing food.

Thanks to this they devoted themselves to the improvement of the fishing technique, which provided a stable source of food for the population.

However, at the end of the pre-Hispanic period, coexistence became complex in view of the leadership exercised over them by the “regional manors”. The capture of tribes and centralization of power significantly affected their organization and productivity.

characteristics

Hierarchical structure

The atacames had a chief who was called cacique and who administered the public and economic life of the tribe. In turn, there were councils of elders who advised the chief based on their experience.

Fishing

Fishing techniques developed marine species of all kinds. Although they are not known for being great browsers

Manufacturers

The atacames from very early began to make utensils and tools with skins, wood and clay in an expansive way.

Merchants

One of their most outstanding features is that they were aware of the importance of trade and, in fact, they were known as the merchants of the pre-Hispanic period.

Polytheists

Their beliefs were similar to those of other cultures, polytheism was expressed in the worship of the sun, trees, water, earth and wind.

Economy

Agriculture and fishing were, without a doubt, the main engines of its economy. Later pottery introduces stylistic and technological changes in the way of production.

In the same way, metals were worked by them, a tradition that derived directly from the teaone. Metallurgy was developed through the technique of hammering, embossing, and cutting to create jewelry, hooks, and needles.

Another part that was not decisive in the Atacame economy was ceramics, although they did not have great development in the technique of the same, nowadays pieces that they made are exhibited in the main museums and archaeological centers.

The exchange method was based on the amount of shells (hard and moving parts that detach the shells of the mollusks) that once obtained were used to exchange them for products. These shells were equivalent to today's paper money.

According to the chroniclers' narratives, the Atacame town served as a trading port for crops, tools, pottery and goldsmithing.

They were a culture that really had an idea of ​​the importance of trade and its port was the realization of such ideas.

Custom

The Atacames were one of the cooperative cultures with the highest degree of organization of the pre-Hispanic period. The cacique distributed the tasks of men and women so that each one fulfilled a role.

Mutual help was one of the ancestral values ​​that all members of the community respected and made an effort to fulfill. This collaboration and cooperation environment contributed to social cohesion and development of the technique.

The atacames followed rigorous traditions of worshiping their gods to render offerings for good harvests.

They were polytheists and for them the main god was the environment, that is, the plants, the seas, the land and the trees; all of the above were objects of worship because the gods placed it there for them.

A ceremony that was repeated every year in the rainy season consisted of asking their gods for abundant rains for the crops.

The customs of the Atacames are not very different from other cultures when it comes to the worship of deities to request benefits in return.

References

1. Alcina Franch, J. (1979) The archeology of Esmeraldas: general introduction. Editorial Reviews.
2. Alerco Producciones (2015) History of the Atacames Culture. Recovered from: blogitravel.com.
3. Wikipedia contributors (2017) Atacames. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
4. Ibarra, A. (1992) The indigenous and the state in Ecuador. Editorial Abya Yala. Ecuador.
5. The time. (2015) The Atacames Culture. Recovered from: lahora.com.ec.
6. Marcos, J. (2005) The navigating peoples of pre-Hispanic Ecuador. Editorial Abya Yala. Ecuador.