Editing Pre-Columbian era (section)

===Valdivia culture===
{{Main|Valdivia culture}}
The [[Valdivia culture]] was concentrated on the coast of [[Ecuador]]. Their existence was recently discovered by archeological findings. Their culture is among the oldest found in the Americas, spanning from 3500 to 1800 BCE. The Valdivia lived in a community of houses built in a circle or oval around a central plaza. They were sedentary people who lived off farming and fishing, though occasionally they hunted for deer. From the remains that have been found, scholars have determined that Valdivians cultivated [[maize]], [[kidney bean]]s, [[squash (plant)|squash]], [[cassava]], [[chili pepper]]s, and [[cotton]] plants, the last of which was used to make clothing. Valdivian pottery initially was rough and practical, but it became showy, delicate, and big over time. They generally used red and gray colors, and the polished dark red pottery is characteristic of the Valdivia period. In its ceramics and stone works, the Valdivia culture shows a progression from the most simple to much more complicated works.