NO. 1 CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN AMERICA 49 
are suggestive of a stratified society, in which the elite (chiefs and/or 
priests) exert sufficient power over their subjects or slaves to con- 
vince or force them to accompany their masters in death. 
Period VI starts at a.d. 800 and ends with the Conquest. It must be 
noted that in two parts of the area, this period is subdivided into 
Middle Polychrome (northwestern Costa Rica) and Gross Red Line 
(Chriqui) on one hand; into Late Polychrome (northwestern Costa 
Rica) and Armadillo (Chiriqui) on the other hand. Because we know 
little about other local complexes, area-wide subdivision does not seem 
justified at the present time. 
Period VI comprises these phases : 
Late Code and La Mula Phases— Parita Bay (Lothrop, 1937-1942; Willey 
and McGimsey, 1954). 
Classic Veraguas Phase — Veraguas Province (McGimsey, 1961). 
Gross Red Line and Armadillo Phases — Chiriqui Province (McGimsey, 
1961). 
Classic Boruca Phase — southwestern Costa Rica (Lothrop). 
Cartago Phase— central Costa Rica (Hartman, 1901, 1907b; Rowe, 1959). 
Middle and Late Polychrome Phases — northwestern Costa Rica (Baudez 
and Coe, 1960). 
White Polychrome Phase — southwestern Nicaragua (Norweb, 1961). 
Ceramically the Period VI complexes may be divided into two 
groups. Elaborate multicolor painted wares in both geometric and 
naturalistic styles are characteristic of Costa Rica, Chiriqui, and 
Parita Bay regions. In the other regions, multicolor painting is of 
little importance, and characteristic ornamentation consists of model- 
ing, applique, or incising. 
Everywhere, this period seems to be a climax with respect to the 
preceding periods. Village sites are very numerous and often larger 
than before, although the main food sources remain the same. Struc- 
tures occur in every region. Near Penonome (Code Province) align- 
ments of columns and statues are reported. Round houses lined with 
stones were found in northwestern and central Costa Rica. Earth and 
stone mounds, sometimes arranged around plazas, occur everywhere in 
Costa Rica and also in southwestern Nicaragua. If these structures are 
not evidence of significant mass labor, at least some of them attest to 
the growing role of ceremonialism in religion. Burials seem to have 
received more care. In central Costa Rica, the simple interments in the 
earth are replaced by stone cists; in northwestern Costa Rica and 
Chiriqui, tombs are indicated by stone markers and roofed with stone 
slabs. 
The growing importance of religion is attested by the spread of 
monumental sculpture. Tall columns with anthropomorphic figures 
