The Reinvention of Tradition: An Ethnographic Study of Spondylus Use in Coastal Ecuador

Resumen

Archaeologists have long noted the importance of Spondylus in the archaeological record of Ecuador. However, no one has attempted to understand contemporary Spondylus use and its relation to the precolumbian past. This research attempts to understand contemporary Spondylus use in coastal Ecuador by focusing on issues of craft production and identity formation. Using an approach that combines both archaeological and ethnographic information, this paper attempts to understand the role of Spondylus craft production in the formation of a localized identity.