Fire-pot; Guangala Culture, Ecuador, 500 BC-500 AD. Polychrome terracotta. It presents restorations in fracture lines in the base, the tail and the upper area. Measurements: 20 x 17 cm (diameter). Polychromed terracotta polychrome censer, which stands out especially for the modelling of the figure of a fantastic character that is arranged at the foot of the piece. This figure shares the body with the fust, while the face, front legs and tail are excised from the censer. The Guangala culture flourished between about 500 BC and 500 AD in the Ecuadorian provinces of Manabí and Guayas, between the semi-arid coasts and the fertile valleys of the Colonche Mountains. They were a farming people, with maize as their main crop. The material culture of the people was characterised by pottery. Although ceramic figurines are less numerous than in other contemporary groups of the north (Bahia culture), they have been found in large numbers. Their forms range from highly realistic to fully stylised. Both male and female figures can be identified.