The Rainbow Serpent was an important god in early Mezo-American pantheons, outlasting several civilizations.

Panamanian art has a vivid graphic quality which truly stands out from the surrounding cultures and nations of Central America. From the still strong textile tradition of hand sewn molas to the pottery that has been excavated from ancient towns, civilizations, and graves, the art reflects a fabulous control of "positive and negative" space. Abstracted heritage/images of the natural world and their "background" are worked in contrasting colors so that a conventional distinction between background and foreground is broken down.