Figural Pendant

Cast gold figural pendants from ancient Costa Rica often depict a variety of figures. The figures include humans, animals, and different types of birds. The two-headed human figure on this gold pendant may represent a shaman, and the arc surrounding the figure may represent the shaman’s power. In Costa Rican culture, shamans are spiritual leaders and healers. They are believed to have the ability to communicate with spirits and the supernatural world. 

Gold pendants created using the lost-wax method of metal casting are common in the southern Costa Rican region known as the Diquís Delta. The area is known for its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and stone spheres. Gold pendants found in the Diquís region of Costa Rica look similar to the gold pendants found in the Chiriquí region of northern Panama, where the lost-wax casting method was used in earlier times. Lost-wax casting is a technique used to make a replica, or copy, of an object by casting a mold around a wax model. It is possible that lost-wax casting was introduced into the Diquís region by neighboring communities in Panama.