Definition: Nicoya Polychrome is the name given to the Early Post Classic period in Costa Rica and El Salvador, after the town of Nicoya, Costa Rica and its brilliant multi-colored pottery. Between AD 500-1000, the people of this culture produced large scale stone sculpture in three-dimensions (unlike two-dimensional representations in Maya sites) and were skilled in gold and copper metallurgy. Sites have evidence for large adobe hearths and rock-filled ovens; houses had wattle-and-daub construction. Links to the central American empire at Teotihuacan are possible during the early period.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
Also Known As: Guanacaste-Nicoya Polychrome (in Costa Rica)
Examples: Vidor, Nacascolo
