As far back as 1500 BC, the ancient civilizations of Peru produced fine pottery in many different styles.
Master potters of the Chavín culture
The first major center of pottery production was the Chavín culture in the central Andean region from around 1000 to 300 BC. The pots they produced are often in the shape of images of the jaguar god and other mythical animals. Others show that the Chavín potters were masters in the use of subtle colors, producing geometric patterns in reds and browns. It was this group which had already begun to make the typical “stirrup-spout” pottery, where handles from twin vessels rise to form a central spout.