The expressive faces on pots and clay figurines made by the Moche people, who inhabited northern Peru from around a.d. 100 to 800, gaze at museumgoers from glass cases the world over. But relatively little is known about the potters who created these charming artworks. A team led by archaeologist Henry Tantaleán of the National University of San Marcos is excavating extensive stone-carving and pottery studios at the seventh-century a.d. Moche settlement of Cerro Mayal. They have unearthed some 13,000 ceramics and figurine molds, as well as tools such as burnishers and stone anvils used to create them.
The team has discovered that there was a great deal of diversity among Moche pottery studios. “Moche pottery-making communities were very dynamic,” says Tantaleán. Some highly specialized artisans who produced ritual pottery were likely supported by political elites. However, the ceramics the team has unearthed suggest that not all the potters at Cerro Mayal labored for higher-ups. “It’s very likely there were more independent workshops that focused on producing utilitarian vessels for local communities,” says Tantaleán. The team is now analyzing pottery found in the studios to understand the clay recipes used by different Cerro Mayal pottery schools.
