Art of the Ancient Americas was one of the earliest collecting areas adopted by the Polk Museum of Art. Initiated by a major gift from Winter Haven collectors Dr. David and Lucia Taxdal, this collection now features artifacts from many cultural groups in present-day Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru. The objects date from c. 800 BCE to c. 1500 CE and include ceramics, textiles, stone carvings, and precious metal pieces. Hallmark objects are a male effigy figure from the Remojades area of Veracruz, a polychrome jaguar vessel from Costa Rica, and a Moche effigy vessel from Peru. A majority of the museum's Art of the Ancient Americas collection is on permanent display in the museum's Taxdal Gallery.
