Evidence of Exchange in Precolumbian Ceramics from Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Materials in Movement in the Isthmo-Colombian Area" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Isla Colon, the largest island in the Bocas del Toro archipelago on Panama’s northwest coast, has a unique density of archaeological features in the region. Sitio Drago, the largest site yet found on the island, includes ceremonial and settlement mounds and a diverse and sizable assemblage of subsistence remains and cultural materials. Evidence of cultural interactions in the form of lithic tools and possible “prestige goods” were uncovered dating to between AD 750 and 1450. Overall, Sitio Drago has the most diverse ceramic assemblages in the area and was likely tied to overland and maritime exchange networks. Stylistic analysis noted the presence of pottery types from at least five distinct culture areas, ranging from Central Panama to Nicaragua. Ongoing research focuses on data collection and archaeometric analysis to investigate questions of scale, chronology, and cultural practices within these networks. To assess what material was moving across Central America in the past, petrographic and geochemical analyses have been undertaken to determine the provenance of different types of pottery. As several distinct groups of ceramics are evident stylistically as well as compositionally, the sources and amounts of these different kinds of pottery may indicate the underlying relationships between disparate communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Materials in Movement in the Isthmo-Colombian Area   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38927.0