cave culture

Cave culture forms a many chiefdoms with one language common throughout Atlantic and Pacific with territorial domain limitations in the central region, and is located between Chame and the eastern part of the Isthmus of Panama during pre-Hispanic times.

Richard Cookepoints out that they formed principalities from one coast to the other and exchanged products that were lacking in some of the environments and maintained alliances for the hegemony of the main government.

She also points out that language formed a barrier between the cave culture and her own neighbors to the west of the Isthmus.

Even the main chiefs were forbidden to take wives who spoke other languages.language as well as cultural contact It was almost zero; since they moved with the whole city from the river or the valley to the tops of the mountains like mountains, but within their own authority.

It should be noted that at the archaeological sites in Pacific slopes prevail uncut or red-painted vessels, many of which have decorations modeled in the form of animals, people, as well as part of the material life of the village.

Chroniclers like Bartolome de las Casas They point out that in the eastern area of ​​the Isthmus, the cave culture, in addition to speaking the same language, maintained alliances in terms of trade in war and the storage of goods due to the inhospitable territory.

Gladys Casimir de Brizuela claims that they were very ssociable and polytheistic, with habits of respect and worship a human figure.

In fact, material culture saw a change in distribution between 550 and 950 with polychrome pottery similar to “Cubita” and early Conté styles of Gran Coclé showing contact towards that period with the neighboring peoples west of the isthmus and the cultures of the Caribbean.

The author of this article is prof Christian University of Panama.