Bird pendant

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Greenstone pendants were manufactured in the Central and the Greater Nicoya regions of Costa Rica starting as early as 500 BCE, until around 800 CE. Made from a variety of raw materials, these pendants were often found in funerary contexts as offerings, along with other elaborate items, such as carved metates (see for example MMA 1979.206.426). The appearance of this distinctive style of pendants during a period of incipient social inequalities suggest that they were a sign of prestige and differentiation.

In this long-beaked bird pendant, parallel incised lines represent the feathering. The protuberance on top of the beak, or caruncle, identifies this more specifically as a king vulture, a bird commonly associated in ancient Central America with the transition between life and death. The delicate and precise lines, as well as the polished finish, indicate the high level of specialization of the artist who produced this pendant.

Amanda Suárez Calderón, 2025

Further Readings

Hoopes, John. “Magical Substances in the Land between the Seas.” In Golden Kingdoms. Luxury Arts in the Ancient Americas, edited by Joanne Pillsbury, Timothy Potts, and Kim N. Richter. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum and The Getty Research Institute, 2017.

Kuboyama-Haraikawa, Waka. Celtiform Pendants from Pre-Columbian Costa Rica. Oxford, UK: BAR Publishing, 2023.

McEwan, Colin, and John Hoopes, eds. Pre-Columbian Art from Central America and Colombia at Dumbarton Oaks. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 2021.

Los artesanos de las regiones Central y Gran Nicoya de Costa Rica fabricaron pendientes de una variedad de piedras verdes, llamadas genéricamente jade, aproximadamente desde el 500 AEC hasta el 800 EC. Estos pendientes se encuentran sobre todo en contextos funerarios a manera de ofrenda, junto con otros objetos finamente elaborados, tales como metates de panel colgante (ver por ejemplo MMA 1979.206.426). La aparición de estos pendientes con su estilo distintivo durante un periodo de surgimiento de desigualdades sociales sugiere que eran símbolos de prestigio y diferenciación.

En este pendiente en forma de ave, las líneas incisas paralelas representan el plumaje, mientras que la protuberancia sobre el pico o carúncula indica que se trata de un zopilote rey. Esta es un ave que en América Central se asocia comúnmente con la transición entre la vida y la muerte. Las líneas delicadas y precisas, así como el acabado pulido, demuestran el alto nivel de especialización del artista que produjo este pendiente.

Amanda Suárez Calderón, 2025

Lecturas adicionales

Hoopes, John. “Magical Substances in the Land between the Seas.” In Golden Kingdoms. Luxury Arts in the Ancient Americas, edited by Joanne Pillsbury, Timothy Potts, and Kim N. Richter. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum and The Getty Research Institute, 2017.

Kuboyama-Haraikawa, Waka. Celtiform Pendants from Pre-Columbian Costa Rica. Oxford, UK: BAR Publishing, 2023.

McEwan, Colin, and John Hoopes, eds. Pre-Columbian Art from Central America and Colombia at Dumbarton Oaks. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 2021.