Design motif of anthropormorphic shaman, Panama. Courtesy of The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, California.						1 of 2   Social
	SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT n Upper Central America, small farming communities were transformed into large ceremonial centers ruled by political and priestly elites. In Lower Central America, large ceremonial centers did not develop. Instead, religion and power centered around local chiefs or caciques. The cacique, assisted by high-ranking warriors and shamans, oversaw tribal warfare.