Avian Imagery on Preclumbian Ceramics from Pacific Nicaragua

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Centralizing Central America: New Evidence, Fresh Perspectives, and Working on New Paradigms" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Throughout human history people have been entranced by avians. Their ability to fly from earth to the sky, while displaying grace and beauty, as well as exhibiting a ferocity to protect their nests and hatchlings was revered. Birds were often seen as messengers between the sky and earth, communicating with other spirits, with the deceased, and transporting souls/spirits to other dimensions. Some cultural groups adopted special birds to represent their clan or area, or to act as an individual’s guardian. Birds played an integral part in the animistic beliefs of the early inhabitants of Pacific Nicaragua and their importance was portrayed on clay vessels via techniques of modeling, incising, excising, and painting. This paper will discuss avian imagery on ceramic vessels from 600 to 1600 CE.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Centralizing Central America: New Evidence, Fresh Perspectives, and Working on New Paradigms   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37779.0