Burials in the so-called Vicus area of…

Burials in the so-called Vicus area of northern Peru, lying largely within the Piura basin, inland from the coast, include several types of pottery and metal artifacts including masks, nose ornaments, and other objects fashioned of gold and of alloys of gold, copper, and silver, beginning (probably) in about 200 BCE.

Vicus goldsmiths employ the technique of depletion gilding, removing base metals from the alloys to leave a layer of relatively pure gold.

A principal pottery form, known as Vicus negative, is resist-decorated with black lines on a background of reddish brown.

Textile arts, including the production of fine embroidered mantles, remain at a high level among the Vicus people.