Archeology

Miss Greater Nicoya 800-1200 years ago

By Frederick W. Lange Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and the person represented in the figure that accompanies this article may or may not qualify as a Miss Universe candidate by modern standards. The more important fact is that her presence permits the opportunity to evaluate the role of women in pre-Hispanic Greater Nicoya society, in this case some 800 to 1,200 years ago. This ceramic figurine type (called Papagayo Polychrome by the community of practicing archaeologists) is found throughout Greater Nicoya. An interesting, gender-related fact is that although there are many female Papagayo Polychrome figurines in museums and private collections, no similar masculine figures have ever been recovered. Multiple examples of this clay figurine type are on exhibit in the National Insurance Museum and the National Museum of Costa Rica in San Jose, and in the National Museum of Nicaragua in Managua. These figures are mold-made and similar, although not always identical, in appearance. Like many clay figurines in South America and Mexico, the Papagayo Polychrome figurines were massed produced, probably in craft-shops or religious workshops. Based on chemical analyses of the clays in various examples, we know that they were made in the Isthmus of Rivas, possibly at the site of Tepetate near the present-day city of Granada. A few fragments of the molds have been found documenting the manner of production. After looking at a number of these female figures in person or in photographs, analyzing their facial expressions and their body decoration, one gets the impression that these figures represent female participation in political and religious roles — they are definitely not toys. Perhaps they are even representations of women who were alive at that time. These figurines have extensive indications of body-painting, body roller-stamping, or tattoos, all forms of body decoration that were popular at this time. Some show masks of shamanistic animals and others have delicately woven gauze-like garments. For example, in the image that accompanies this article, the figure is wearing what appears to be a cat mask, representing any one of five species of wild cats known to have been in Greater Nicoya during the prehistoric period (and into the modern era until they have mostly become extinct because of destruction of their habitat). Other ceramic forms of the Papagayo Polychrome type include tripod bowls, ovoid human effigy heads, and bowls; these feature crocodile and jaguar motifs. The figures are hollow and always shown kneeling. Their breasts are subtly, but clearly defined and are bare and decorated except for the figures with the above-mentioned gauze tops. Except for ear spools, they almost never are shown wearing jewelry or other adornments. They are shown as staring quietly (is she contemplating the future?; is she in a trance?) and are never depicted as being involved in sexual activity (as are female figures in some other cultures such as the Moche, or even very occasionally in other Greater Nicoya ceramics). Also, only a few Papagayo Polychrome female figures are known to be shown as pregnant or to be giving birth. They are never, to my knowledge, shown holding children. Why then were these figurines made? When the Spanish arrived in Greater Nicoya in the early 16th century, they noted that some villages were under the control of women (and probably many more had been in charge prior to the incursions of southern Mexican peoples in the last centuries before the arrival of the Spanish). As many scholars have noted, the Mexican-like veneer that arrived at that time masks a distinctly non-Mexican cultural content in earlier centuries. It is very likely that woman-directed (or matriarchal) societies had a long history in Greater Nicoya, in this case back to at least 1,500 years before the arrival of the Spanish, and perhaps long before. These figures are more closely related to the southern Mesoamerican groups (generally referred to as Chorotegan peoples) than to tribes of Chibchan or South American background. It is almost certain that the kneeling posture, stamped body designs, and shamanistic masks would tell us all about this woman’s status and role in society, if only we had the key to the code! _____________________________________________________________ Frederick W. Lange has a doctoral degree in anthropology, awarded by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971. He is the author of the recently published book Before Guanacaste, a popular account of the first 10,000 years of this wonderful place. BG is available at the Jaime Peligro Book Store in Tamarindo, the Café Britt Book Store at Peninsula de Papagayo, and in Libreria Internacional bookstores in San Jose and throughout Costa Rica. Fred’s e-mail address is hormiga_1999@yahoo.com.