See Intermediate Area Bibliography

Plate 1.

92935

Northwest Costa Rica

Greater Nicoya, Middle Polychrome Period (A.D. 800–1350)

Ring-based Jar

Papagayo Polychrome Pottery

Dimensions: H 29 cm x D 13 cm

(K P)

The pedestal base with a modeled effigy on this vessel is typical of Papagayo Polychrome, a pottery type characterized by small scale polychrome designs in orange, black, and red paint on buff slip, depicting geometric patterns or conventional representations of mythological animals.[1] The Middle Polychrome period, representing the cultural climax of the Nicoya subarea, has been subdivided into subphases, with Papagayo Polychrome at the middle of this period.[2] The main forms of Papagayo ceramics are tripod vessels with conic or zoomorphic feet, jars with ellipsoid shape and a pedestal base, and molded effigy vessels. Ceramics motifs on Papagayo Polychrome exhibit Mexican themes that are evident throughout the isthmian region of the Greater Nicoya, an area spanning from northwest Costa Rica to southwest Nicaragua.[3] Some of these forms are modeled after contemporary Early Postclassic pottery of Mesoamerica, especially Tohil Plumbate and Fine Orange ceramics. [4] Although Papagayo Polychrome is rarely found south of Costa Rica, there is evidence that was mass produced in the Guanacaste region and exported to other places in Central America, such as Tazumal in El Salvador, Zacualpa and Zaculeu in Guatemala.[5] The Polychrome imports at Tula in Mexico, once thought to be Papagayo Polychrome, have been identified as the closely related Las Vegas Polychrome from the Lake Yojoa area in Honduras.[6]

Similar examples:

• Ferrero 1975:127, 300, figs. I-116, III-43.
• Stone 1972:170.
• Willey 1971:fig. 5-112.

[1] Ferrero 1975:89.

[2] Lange 1984:178-179; Willey 1971:344.

[3] Stone 1972:171; Willey 1971:346.

[4] Willey 1971:346.

[5] Lothrop 1927, 1936:92; Woodbury and Trik 1953.

[6] Diehl et al. 1974; Lange 1984:179.

Plate 2.

A5229

Northwest Costa Rica

Greater Nicoya, Middle Polychrome Period (A.D. 800–1350)

Ring-based Jar

Papagayo Polychrome Pottery

Dimensions: H 25.1 cm x D 24.2 cm

(K P)

Like other examples of Papagayo Polychrome, this vessel has a modeled animal head on its side and a ring base, although the short neck and globular shape distinguish it from more typical examples of this ceramic type.  The animal represented below the rim may be a howler monkey with prominent fangs and forelimbs painted below on the vessel body.  In Papagayo Polychrome vessels, humans are rarely represented and modeled zoomorphic heads usually have enough realism to identify birds, most notably parrots and turkeys, snakes and other reptiles, and mammals such as jaguars, armadillo, and coatis. Some motifs found in the Papagayo Polychrome have been related to Mexican deities or mythological animals of the Postclassic period such as the Feathered Serpent, jaguars, crocodilians, and cross motifs and stepped designs.[1] Central Mexican motifs incorporated in Papagayo Polychrome may represent an influx of new religious concepts due to increased trade with the north.[2]

Similar examples:

• Ferrero 1975:90: figs. I-61, I-62.
• Beloit, Logan Museum of Anthropology Number 5810.

[1] Ferrero 1975:297.

[2] Stone 1977.

Plate 3.

A5228

Nicaragua/Costa Rica

Greater Nicoya, Late Polychrome Period (A.D. 1350–1550)

Polychrome Bowl

Luna Polychrome Pottery

Dimensions: H 11.8 cm x D 19.7 cm

(K P)

The use of fine line designs on this bowl is a defining feature of Luna Polychrome of the Late Polychrome period.[1] Like Vallejo Polychrome, ceramics of this type have a globular shape and the fine line decoration, but Luna Polychrome lacks the Mesoamerican motifs.[2] Designs are characterized by modeled or painted effigies of animals, human faces, and/or geometric motifs.[3] Luna Polychrome is found in the northern area of the Great Nicoya region of Costa Rica but the largest known concentration comes from the Ometepe Island Nicaragua, where some vessels have been found in mortuary contexts.[4] Notable changes in the Late Polychrome period are evident in a decline in the ceremonial activities with the cessation of mound construction and stone sculptures in the area.[5] Luna Polychrome has no local precedents and may reflect the arrival of new peoples or ideas, possibly from South American.[6] Suggestions of an Amazonian connection, however, have been rejected because Luna Polychrome lacks certain iconographic features and decorative techniques characteristic of Amazonian ceramics.[7]

Similar examples:

• Lange et. al. 1992:fig. 7.59c.
• Stone 1972:195.
• Stone 1977:Fig. 129.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number 34-104-20/3622.

[1] Lange 1992:128.

[2] Willey 1971:348.

[3] Stone 1958:37.

[4] Knowlton 1996:149; Lange et al. 1992:232.

[5] Willey 1971:348.

[6] Lange 1992:128; Stone 1977:82.

[7] Knowlton 1996:152.

Plate 4.

P2319

Northwest Costa Rica

Greater Nicoya, Late Polychrome Period (A.D. 1350-1550)

Effigy Jar

Jicote Polychrome Pottery

Dimensions: H 6.4 cm x D 7.7 cm

(K P)

Broad line designs and low relief with painted geometric designs are typical of Jicote Polychrome, manufactured in the Tempisque River Valley in the south of the Greater Nicoya.[1]  The use of cream slip and fine line painting in red and black are like Luna Polychrome, another late ceramic type found distributed in the northern areas of the Greater Nicoya. [2]  When comparing Jicote Polychrome to earlier ceramics of the Middle Polychrome period, the range of vessel shapes and the use of light colored base slips and red and black geometric designs are similar, but innovations are apparent in the use of appliqué and modeled decoration.[3]

Similar examples:

• Lange et al. 1992:fig. 7.58, a.
• Lange et al. 1992:fig. 7.59, d.
• Lange 1992:fig. 12.
• Stone 1977: Pl. VIII.1.
• Cabello Carro 1980:Pl. VII.

[1] Stone 1958:37; Lange 1992:128.

[2] Lange 1992:128.

[3] Healy 1980:315.

Plate 5.

96007

Costa Rica

Central Highlands/Atlantic Watershed, Period VI (A.D. 1000 – A.D. 1550)

Tripod Bowl

Irazu Yellow Line Pottery

Dimensions: H 12.3 cm x D 23.5 cm

(K P)

Irazu Yellow Line vessels are among the finest ceramic types of Period VI, the last Pre-Columbian period in the Atlantic Watershed, a period characterized by ceramics of inferior quality when compared with earlier periods.[1] The Central Highlands and Atlantic Watershed areas form the largest and most disparate of Costa Rica’s archaeological zones, composed of four or five geographic sub-zones with some cultural similarities.[2] During Period VI, the feline motif became more popular and bowls with hollow tripod supports in the shape of stylized animal heads are common, as are modeled adornos, such as the one here representing a monkey. This tripod bowl with leg rattles, a modeled animal head, and yellow linear designs are characteristic of Irazu Yellow Line pottery. Some of these features of Irazu Yellow Line relate to Guanacaste-Nicoya polychromes, but the geometric designs with thick, yellow paint on two-tone orange and brick-red slip can be linked to ceramics in the Chiriquí region.[3] The interchange of ideas seen in the pottery and cist burials of this period seem to indicate a cultural homogeneity characteristic of chiefdoms in the area.[4]

Similar examples:

• Snarskis 1981:fig. 26.
• Ferrero 1975:Pl. I-150.
• Ferrero 1975:Pl. I-157
• Boston, Museum of Fine Arts Number 25.421.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number: 17-3-20/C8231.

[1] Snarskis 1981:69, 1985:226.

[2] Snarkis 1983:11-12, 1985:226.

[3] Snarkis 1981:69-70.

[4] Snarskis 1983:114-115.

Plate 6.

96325

Costa Rica

Central Highlands/Atlantic Watershed, Period VI (A.D. 1000 – A.D. 1550)

Engraved Tripod Bowl

Tayutic Incised Pottery

Dimensions: H 9 cm x D 17.2 cm

(K P)

Tayutic bowls like this one have tripod supports that are usually large hollow, grotesque animal heads and are often decorated with a chain-like motif on the inner rim, produced by combining incision and excision. The development of brown-lipped incised or engraved pottery follows a similar course in Period VI of the Guanacaste-Nicoya and the Atlantic Watershed zones, characterized by ceramics with white paint on an unslipped surface incised with mat patterns and other forms of geometric decoration.[1] Diagnostics of this period include bowls and cylindrical jars with tripod supports in the form of animal heads, which replaced the long-legged tripods of previous periods. Near the end of Period VI, Poro Incised appears to be a type modeled on Tayutic, but is considered technological inferior.[2]

Similar Examples:

• Snarskis 1983:114.
• Baudez 1970:fig. 142.
• Stone 1966:fig. 17a.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number: 51-50-20/18524.

[1] Snarskis 1985:226.

[2] Snarskis 1983:116-117.

Plate 7.

P2847

Southern Costa Rica/Western Panama

Greater Chiriqui, Period IV (A.D. 1000 – A.D. 1550)

Tripod Effigy Jar

Slipped Pottery

Dimensions: H 19.5 cm x D 12 cm

(K P)

This tripod vessel is a salmon-colored ware that has a distinctive well-burnished slip, a type of ceramics less common than the unslipped Armadillo Ware (“Biscuit”) typical in the late period of the Greater Chiriqui, an area incorporating the Chiriqui province in Panama and southwestern Costa Rica.[1] The jaguar-head adorno on this vessel recalls jaguar imagery common in Greater Chiriqui graves, which contained metates (grinding stones) in the shape of jaguars, as well as gold pendants and a variety of late ceramic types.[2] Recent studies in the Diquis Delta have revealed that the Costa Rican Chiriqui-phase sites were most often located on broad terraces just above major water courses, suggesting a more intensive utilization of the major rivers during later times.[3]

Similar examples:

• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number 41-69-20/13766.

[1] Joyce 1916:134.

[2] Willey 1971:335-236.

[3] Snarskis 1981:77.

Plate 8.

94661

Southern Costa Rica/Western Panama

Greater Chiriqui, Late Period (A.D. 1000 – A.D. 1550)

Incised Tripod Vessel

Tripod Ware Pottery

Dimensions: H 20.5 cm x D rim 12.5 cm

(K P)

Several kinds of tall, hollow-legged tripods occur during the late period of Greater Chiriqui, and, like this vessel, they are usually executed in black and red paint on cream slip.[1] The province of Chiriqui, named after the ancient culture that flourished in western Panama, has ceramics so closely affiliated with southern Costa Rica that it is often difficult to tell the exact provenience of individual vessels when unaccompanied by field data.[2] Pottery vessels from graves in this region are very abundant and bowls often have tripod legs that may be conical and pointed or bulbous and mammiform, shapes typical of Lower Central America.[3]

Similar Examples:

• Baudez 1970:Pl. 135.
• Strong 1948:fig. 24.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number: 84-4-20/31896.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number: 31-40-20/C13503.2.

[1] Snarskis 1983:127.

[2] Baudez 1970:194.

[3] Strong 1948:135-136.

Plate 9.

96608

Western Panama

Puerto Armuelles, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Phase (A.D. 1000– 1550)

Tripod Bowl

Tarrago Bisquit Pottery

Dimensions: H 3.9 cm x D 7.7 cm

(K P)

The legs on this tripod vessel depict armadillo heads, an animal frequently represented on Tarrago Biscuit, a type of pottery that was originally named Armadillo ware.[1] Also called Biscuit or San Miguel Bisquit, it is most common in the Chiriqui phase.[2] Tarrago Bisquit pottery exhibits the greatest variety of shapes, ranging from plain bowls to tripod vases.  Tripod legs are usually hollow with rattles and appliqué details portraying stylized animals or human forms, and similar appliqué details can occur as ornaments to the bodies of vases.[3] Minor differences in style and frequency are evident in Chiriqui phase vessels found in the Greater Chiriqui, on the Pacific side of Panama and the Diquis highlands and delta of Costa Rica.[4] The Chiriqui phase or tradition was the last Pre-Columbian cultural complex in the Greater Chiriqui and it continued into early colonial times, as demonstrated by the glass beads and iron implements found with certain vessels.[5]

Similar Examples:

• Joyce 1916: fig. 32a.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number: 04-61-20/C3654.

[1] Joyce 1916:136.

[2] Haberland 1984:247-249.

[3] Joyce 1916:134.

[4] Linares de Sapir 1968a:222.

[5] Haberland 1984:253.

Plate 10.

A16743

Panama

Chiriqui Region, Chiriqui Phase (A.D. 1000 – A.D. 1550)

Tripod Bowl

Tarrago Bisquit Ceramics

Dimensions: H 7 cm x D 9.5 cm

(K P)

This Chiriqui Phase bowl decorated with modeled human heads and arms is Tarrago Bisquit pottery, a high quality ceramic type with a light buff, homogenous paste, a surface texture like sandpaper, and a very thin vessel wall with appliqué decoration motifs.[1] Also called San Miguel Bisquit, Armadillo ware, or simply Bisquit (Biscuit) ware, this pottery manufactured by specialists is usually considered the “classic” Chiriqui occupation, also called Period VI.[2]  Leading up to this period, around A.D. 800, important changes occurred in the Greater Chiriqui area with an apparent influx of South American peoples or cultural traditions, possibly related to Chibcha-speaking peoples from Colombia.[3]  By A.D. 1000, new types of ceramics appear, such as Tarrago Bisquit, although some continuity with past traditions is evident.[4]

Similar examples:

• Joyce 1916:fig. 32a.
• Museo Antropológico Reina Torres de Arauz 2005:40, 42.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number: 04-61-20/C3855.

[1] Linares de Sapir 1968a:219.

[2] Haberland 1984:247-248; Lothrop 1948:166; Willey 1971:335.

[3] Haberland 1984:247, 250.

[4] Snarskis 1981:76-77.

Plate 11.

96605

Panama

Gulf of Chiriqui, San Lorenzo Phase (A.D. 800-1200)

Jar with Effigy Handles

Centaro Red Banded pottery

Dimensions: H 8.3 cm x D 12.7 cm

(K P)

This vessel is reportedly from Puerto Armuellas, on the Gulf of Chiriqui, an area best known from excavations in the estuaries and nearby islands conducted in the mid twentieth century.[1]  Its ceramic type, Centaro Red Banded, is characterized by broad areas of slip forming geometric designs and thick walls with paired handles that are placed vertically or horizontally.[2] Here the handles represent bird heads, most likely parrots.

Similar Examples:

• Museo Antropológico Reina Torres de Araúz 2005:38-39.
• Joyce 1916:Plate XIV, no. 4.

[1] Linares 1968a; Willey 1971:336-337.

[2] Linares 1968a:218, 1968b:37

Plate 12.

94563

Central Panama

Montijo Bay, Veraguas, Conte Period (A.D. 700-1000)

Bridge-Spouted Jar

Conte Style Polychrome Pottery

Dimensions: H 21.5 cm x D 19 cm

(K P)

The distinctive vessel form and purple paint help link this piece with the early Cocle style, now more commonly referred to as the Conte Style, named for the type site of Sitio Conte in the Cocle province.[1] Panamanian sites around Montijo Bay produced ceramics like those found in the neighboring Cocle province, sometimes referred to together as Gran Cocle, and the graves in the two areas are also similar, usually containing a single individual.[2] Designs during this period emphasize animal imagery, especially birds, turtles and saurians.[3] Here we see a more rare representation of a marine creature, probably a sting ray painted with a gaping mouth below a flanged purple area marked with eyes.[4]

Similar examples:

• Baudez 1970:Pl. 111.
• Gilcrease Museum Number GM5445.3415.
• Linares 1977:figs. 21f, 26a, 31h.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number 33-42-20/988.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number 33-42-20/1179.

[1] Baudez 1970:162; Cooke and Sánchez 2003:17.

[2] Lothrop 1950:16.

[3] Mayo 2006:fig. 4.

[4] Cooke et al. 2011:149.

Plate 13.

94561

Central Panama

Montijo Bay, Cocle Region, Conte Period (A.D. 700-1000)

Effigy Vessel Lid

Conte Polychrome Pottery

Dimensions: H 7.7 cm x D 17.8 cm

(K P)

Effigy jar covers depicting an anthropomorphic face like this served as lids for vessels, some decorated with animal images.[1] Face paint on this figure probably showed the individual’s social role. Ancient Panamanian art was highly valued as a source of paraphernalia used to establish status and rank, and social differences were often expressed through body painting and tattooing.[2] Much of the Cocle pottery is from grave offerings, and most vessels were intentionally broken as part of a funerary ceremony.[3] The early Cocle style, known as Conte, was characterized by four-color polychrome that includes designs outlined in black and purple paint, a color probably first introduced around A.D. 500 in the Cubita Style.[4] The Conte vessels have large areas of free space around the main designs, while the later period (Macaracas) purple is less common, and there is an increased intricacy with stylized designs filling the decorated area.[5]

Similar examples:

• Museo Antropológico Reina Torres de Arauz 2005:58, 94.
• Linares de Sapir 1977:fig. 32.

[1] Museo Antropológico 2005:95.

[2] Linares de Sapir 1977:61.

[3] Willey 1971:330.

[4] Cooke 1985:37; Mayo 2006:30-31.

[5] Cooke 1985:38; Mayo 2006:31-32; Willey 1971:332.

Plate 14.

94670

Central Panama

Cocle Region, Macaracas Period (A.D. 900 – A.D. 1100)

Base of Pedestal Plate

Macaracas Polychrome Pottery

Dimensions: H  16.25 cm x D 17 cm

(K P)

This polychrome pedestal with diamond-shaped slits once supported a shallow plate, a form common in the Late Conte and Macaracas styles of the Gran Cocle tradition.[1] The most popular shapes among Cocle polychrome are shallow, flat trays, usually square, resting on low-ring stands; round slightly curved plates, also resting on low stands; jar with angled bodies; and spouted jars.  All these forms have are extremely impractical but are well-suited to serve as a canvas for the display of painted designs.[2] Vessels show a predominance of curvilinear scroll decoration with well-proportioned design layouts and high-skilled decorative techniques.[3] The decorated area was dependent of the vessel form, and the characteristic panel shapes are often distorted to fit the particular space selected, although a balance and sense of proportion are almost always retained.[4] Attempts at naturalism either in painting or modeling are rare, and designs typically depict various supernatural beings that combine aspects of different animals, and after A.D. 1100 these become so stylized that they appear to be geometric decoration.[5]

Similar Examples:

• Cook and Sánchez 2003:fig. 2.
• Ladd 1964:Pl. 6d and 7b.
• Ladd 1964:fig. 38.
• Harvard, Peabody Museum Number: 58-20-20/22407.1.

[1] Cooke 2011:133, 154; Cooke and Sanchéz 2003:17; Ladd 1964:50.

[2] Linares 1977:44-45.

[3] Ladd 1964:97 Lothrop 1948:149.

[4] Ladd 1964:100.

[5] Cook 1985:35, 38.

Plate 15.

A351

Andean Colombia

Classic Quimbaya (A.D. I – A.D. 500)

Anthropomorphic Figure Seated Cross-legged

Quimbaya Style Pottery

Dimensions: H 24 cm x L 15 cm x D 12.5 cm

(K P)

Hollow figurines like this one, typical of the Quimbaya style, are generally large-headed male effigies with spindly extremities, sitting cross-legged, or sometimes, squatting on a low bench.[1] This archaeological style or “culture” was improperly named for tribe known for their goldwork in the sixteenth century. The Quimbaya tribe occupied a small area west of the Cauca River, but archaeologically the term ‘Quimbaya’ refers to a broader area in the central Andes.[2] Most of the archaeological remains linked with the Quimbaya style come from looted tombs. Associated ceramics include vessels decorated with relief-appliqué and positive paint in red, white, black, and yellow, as well as negative painting in two-color or three-color combinations.[3] Traces of two-color negative paint can be seen on this seated figure.

Similar examples:

• Labbé 1986:fig. 66.
• Willey 1971:fig. 5-71.
• Reichel-Dolmatoff 1965:Pl. 16.
• Bennett 1944:fig. 10c.

[1] Reichel-Dolmatoff 1965:103-104; Willey 1971:312.

[2] Reichel-Dolmatoff 1965:101-102; Willey 1971:311.

[3] Reichel-Dolmatoff 1965:104.

Plate 16.

P2328

Venezuela

Northwestern Andes, Late Period (A.D. 1000 – A.D. 1550)

Ceramic Figurine

Tierra de Los Indios Style

Dimensions: H 9.2 cm x D 6.9 cm

(K P)

In the Andean region during the Late Period, female standing figurines are quite common and are usually painted black on white.[1] This Tierra de los Indios Style, also referred to as the Tierroid series, includes five different groups classified according to differences in head form and body structure.[2] This figurine is belongs to the Corded Quadrilateral Head group, characterized by a rectangular aspect and painted horizontal and diagonal bands over a white slip.[3]  Figurines in this group have concave feet and breasts indicated by punctuations or punctate nodules, and in some examples sexual features are more exaggerated. Bulbous legs are characterized by an encircling, incised line.  These figurines are hollow with a rattle inside, and the arms are never more than side projections separated from the body by a round perforation. Viewed from the top, the heads are convex ventrally and concave dorsally, with a notched projection at the back of the head.

Similar examples:

• Willey 1971:fig. 5-81.
• Arroyo 1999:fig. 50.
• Kidder 1944:Plate XVII, 7-10.

[1] Kidder 1944:129.

[2] Rouse and Cruxent 1963; Willey 1971:321.

[3] Arroyo 1999:197.

Plate 17.

A19915

Northern Venezuela

La Cabrera Peninsula, Late Period (A.D. 1000 – A.D. 1550)

Female Figurine

Valencia Phase Pottery

Dimensions: H 13 cm x W 11 cm x D 5 cm

(K P)

This oddly-shaped figurine is typical of the Valencia culture, found on the eastern end of Lake Valencia in the Cordillera del Caribe and grouped among the Caribbean cultures, despite its proximity to the Intermediate area.[1] The “canoe-shaped head” on this figurine is the hallmark of a subtype considered to be especially well made, and although this example lacks paint, it was probably painted with a red body and yellow face, like most other Valencia figurines.[2] Although breasts are usually not represented, female genitalia are often apparent, and occasionally a swollen abdomen is evident, suggesting they represent pregnant women.[3] The features, headdress, limbs, and other details are added in appliqué technique, or with punched holes and incised lines, and the figurines usually are not perfectly symmetrical.

Similar Examples:

• Arroyo 1999:fig. 75.
• Bennett 1937:fig. 13a.
• Osgood 1943:fig.13, Pls. 9a and 11b.
• Willey 1971:fig. 6-13.

[1] Willey 1971:377.

[2] Bennett 1937:109, 111,114-116.

[3] Osgood 1943:53-54.

Plate 18.

A5239

Coastal Ecuador

Bahia, Regional Development Period (B.C. 500 – A.D. 500)

Mould-made Female Figurine

Bahia Phase Pottery

Dimensions: H 23 cm x D 11 cm

(K P)

This figurine is a typical example of the Regional Development Period in the Bahia region, known for its florescence in art and an extraordinary degree of urban planning in the largest archaeological settlements known in Ecuador.[1] Bahia figurines are numerous and diverse and have been classified into subtypes, with the La Plata solid figurines often being mould-made.[2] Female figurines wear a short, straight skirt leaving the upper body bare, like our example.  A necklace and a nose ring adorn the figure, and ears are ornamented with small circular studs, all common form of jewelry on Bahia figurines.[3]

Similar examples:

• Gartelmann 1986:236.
• Meggers 1969:fig. 29.
• Porras 1987:fig. 26.
• The Lowe Art Museum 1981:29.

[1] Gartelmann 1986:187; Willey 1971:290-292.

[2] Gartelmann 1986:186; Meggers 1969:67, 90-91.

[3] Meggers 1969:91.