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The 'Isthmo-Colombian' area (a portion of what has previously been termed the Intermediate Area) was defined in a chapter of the 2003 book ''Gold and Power in Ancient Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia'' (Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.) as a cultural area encompassing those territories occupied by speakers of the Chibchan languages at the time of European contact. It includes portions of eastern Honduras, Caribbean Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and northern Colombia.
The concept draws upon multidisciplinary perspectives, including linguistic reconstructions by Costa Rican anthropological linguist Adolfo Constenla Umaña and observations on Chibchan genetics by Costa Rican anthropological geneticist Ramiro Barrantes Mesén. It is currently being refined through ongoing studies of the linguistics. genetics, archaeology, ethnography, and ethnohistory of this part of the Americas.
Archaeological knowledge of this area is sparse compared to its adjoining neighbors to the north and south. One of the reasons for this dispairity is the lack of monumental architecture that dotted the landscape of corresponding Mesoamerican and Andean areas. However, new research in areas such as Rivas, Costa Rica illustrates that the area was not entirely devoid of settlements in Pre-Colonial times.