The use of metals came from the moche tradition, which in Lambayeque was perfected with greater technical mastery and new styles. They covered the entire metallurgical process, from the extraction of metal (from the mines) to the preparation of alloys, and in the latter, precisely, surpassed their predecessors.

There are three phases or stages in their development:

Early stage (700-900),

Intermediate phase (900-1100),

Late phase (1100-1375).