Sitio Sierra

Sitio Sierra is an archaeological site located in the Herrera Province of Parita Bay in Panama [1]. It lies in the south-central portion of the country, twelve kilometers from where the Santa Maria River meets the Pacific Ocean [1]. Archaeologists have asserted that it was a nucleated agricultural village presumed to have thrived during the Late Occupation Sequence until the Spanish conquest [1]. Systematic pedestrian surveys published in an article by Richard E. Cooke in 1979 hypothesize that the original ancient habitat might have covered at least 45 hectares [1]. Sitio Sierra contains some gold artifacts that are considered some of the oldest of the region [1]. The gold pieces have been described as probably being cut from molded flat sheets, and then spiraled into ornaments [1]. Sitio Sierra is the only site in Panama that contains prismatic blade production while lacking any access to chert projections [1].