The manufacture and circulation of paddle and anvil pottery on the north coast of Peru

Abstract

In the Departments of Lambayeque and Piura in North Peru paddle and anvil pottery industries are still flourishing with most of the production being utility wares which are mainly used in the manufacture, storage and serving of chicha, a boiled and fermented maize beer. This type of technology is almost certainly a direct continuation of a prehispanic tradition. Recent field‐work by the author indicates how the use of different types of utility affects its lifespan. Also the specialization of production in some sectors of this modern industry indicates a pattern that may have existed in antiquity.