THE ICONOGRAPHY OF PRE-COLUMBIAN, ISTHMO-COLOMBIAN CERAMICS: AN INTERPRETIVE CATALOG OF THE CERAMICS FROM THE HAGGERTY MUSEUM OF ART

Abstract

Ceramics play a central role in the study of ancient societies, serving as key evidence for social and political groups, cosmological beliefs, ritual practice, and cultural interaction. This thesis examines the ceramics of the pre-Columbian Isthmo-Colombian region, specifically Panama and Costa Rica, through the collection at the Haggerty Museum of Art, situating the collection within the current scholarship of the region. Focusing on sixteen objects dated between 500-1500 CE, this thesis explores the shared iconographic themes, cosmological and religious nuances, social stratification, and considers how these motifs reflect distinctly local belief systems. While Isthmo-Colombian ceramics are often compared to Mayan decorations and vessel shapes, with a focus on ritual practices, and Andean concepts of a multi-tiered cosmology, this thesis argues that the visual and symbolic consistencies seen across the Haggerty collection indicate a cohesive cultural tradition that is highly localized to the Isthmian region. Through focused iconographic and visual analysis while drawing upon the cosmological interpretations proposed by scholars, this thesis explores abstract symbolism, zoomorphic imagery, shamanistic transformation, and social stratification. Although limited in scope, this study demonstrates how this museum collection contributes to the broader Chibchan regional debates on cosmology, ritual practices, social organization, and unity. Keywords: Pre-Columbian Ceramics, Isthmo-Colombian Ceramics, Chibchan Linguistic Region, The Haggerty Museum of Art, Panama, Costa Rica and Ceramic Iconography