Coclé Province
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Coclé is a province of central Panama on the nation's southern coast. The capital is the city of Penonomé. This province was created by the Act of September 12, 1855 with the title of Department of Coclé during the presidency of Dr. Justo de Arosemena. It became a province, Decretory Number 190, on October 20, 1985. Coclé is primarily an agricultural area, with sugar and tomatoes as major crops. The province has a number of well known beaches, such as Santa Clara, Farallon and Rio Hato, and tourist activity has increased in recent years.
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[edit] Pre-Columbian Coclé
During pre-Columbian times, the area of Panama which today includes Coclé province had a number of identifiable native cultures. Archaeologists have loosely designated these cultures by pottery style. The poorly studied La Mula period ranged from 150 BC to AD 300. It was followed by the Tonosi period, from AD 300 to AD 550, and by the Cubita period, from AD 550 to AD 700. A unified Native American culture appears to have flourished in this area from approximately 1200 BC until the 16th century.
Archaeologists working at intervals since the 1920s have uncovered ruins and burials which contain striking artifacts. These include worked gold and other metals, carved bone and whale ivory, textiles, jewelry with semi-precious stones and pottery. Coclé gold work was traded throughout the region, and has been found as far away as Chichen Itza in Yucatán. The large collection of Coclé pre-historic pottery is notable for strong structural design and the use of fish, bird, animal and human figures as decoration.
In the 1920s, at least one major archaeological site, Sitio Conte, was so badly damaged by an unprofessional excavator that much of its history is lost. In the 1930s and 1940, Sitio Conte was extensively excavated by Harvard archaeologist Samuel K. Lothrop and University of Pennsylvania archaeologist J. Alden Mason, each of whom published their findings. A modest museum on that site displays artifacts and site history. A second site, El Caño, was more professionally explored and provides valuable information about the Coclé culture. A portion of Coclé's archaeological sites have been designated as the Gran Coclé Culture Area. Harvard University's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, published two major works, in 1937 and 1942 respectively, on later excavations in Coclé.
[edit] Districts
The province is divided into six districts:
- Aguadulce. Corregimientos include Aguadulce (capital), El Cristo, El Roble, Pocrí and Barrios Unidos.
- Antón. Corregimientos include Antón (capital), Cabuya, El Chirú, El Retiro, El Valle, Juan Díaz, Río Hato, San Juan de Dios, Santa Rita and Caballero.
- La Pintada. Corregimientos include La Pintada (capital), El Harino, El Potrero, Llano Grande, Piedras Gordas and Las Lomas.
- Natá. Corregimientos include Natá (capital), Capellanía, El Caño, Guzmán, Las Huacas and Toza.
- Penonomé. Corregimientos include Penonomé (capital), Cañaveral, Coclé, Chiguirí Arriba, El Coco, Pajonal, Río Grande, Río Indio, Toabré and Tulú.
[edit] External links
- Coclé Archaeological Sites
- Sito Conte On-Line Collection, University of Pennsylvania Museum
- Pre-Columbian Gold artifacts from the Cocle Province
- Pre-Columbian Jade artifacts from the Cocle Province
- Pre-Columbian Stone artifacts from Cocle
- Pre-Columbian Pottery from Cocle
- Listing of Additional Archaeological Websites
[edit] References
- Lothrop, Samuel Kirland. Pre-Columbian Designs from Panama -Illustrations of Coclé Pottery. Dover Publications, Toronto, Canada, 1976. ISBN 0-486-23232-8.
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