Jama

Jama lay within the coastal world of Jama-Coaque, a culture that continued into the early sixteenth century in northern Manabí and southern Esmeraldas. Its communities combined cultivation with access to river, sea and forest resources. The region also participated in long-distance exchange by land and sea; nearby San Isidro formed a major ceremonial centre with temples above a large settlement.

Jama-Coaque potters produced vessels, house and temple models, and elaborate human figures. Molded bodies received added details and coloured pigments, recording headdresses, ear ornaments, nose rings and other distinctions of dress. Such objects offer glimpses of ceremonial roles and social rank, though the precise political organisation remains uncertain. Jama's late pre-Hispanic setting was therefore one of specialised crafts, regional religious centres and coastal connections, continuing until the era of Spanish conquest.