Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PRE-COLUMBIAN COSTA RICA
The early inhabitants of Costa Rica were part of an extensive trading zone that extended
as far south as Peru and as far north as Mexico. The region hosted roughly 20 small
tribes, organized into chiefdoms with acacique(permanent leader), who sat atop a hier-
archical society that included shamans, warriors, toilers and slaves.
Adept at seafaring, the Carib dominated the Atlantic coastal lowlands and served as a
conduit of trade with the South American mainland. In the northwest, several tribes were
connected to the great Mesoamerican cultures. Aztec religious practices and Maya jade
and craftsmanship are in evidence in the Península de Nicoya, while Costa Rican quetzal
feathers and golden trinkets have turned up in Mexico. In the southwest, three chiefdoms
showed the influence of Andean indigenous cultures via the presence of coca leaves,
yucca and sweet potatoes.
There is also evidence that the language of the Central Valley, Huetar, was known by all
of Costa Rica's indigenous groups, which may be an indication of their power and influen-
ce. The Central Valley is home to Guayabo, the only major archaeological site uncovered
in Costa Rica thus far.
Thought to be an ancient ceremonial center, Guayabo once featured paved streets, an
aqueduct and decorative gold. Here archaeologists uncovered exquisite gold ornaments
and unusual life-size stone statues of human figures, as well as distinctive types of pot-
tery andmetates(stone platforms that were used for grinding corn). Today the site con-
sists of little more than ancient hewed rock and stone, though Guayabo continues to
stand as testament to a once-great civilization of the New World.
Still a puzzle, however, are the hundreds of hand-sculpted, monolithic stone spheres
that dot the landscape of the Diquis Valley in Palmar and the Isla del Caño. Weighing up to
16 tons and ranging in size from a baseball to a Volkswagen, the spheres have inspired
many theories: an ancient calendar, extraterrestrial meddling or pieces of a giant game.
Heirs of Columbus
On his fourth and final voyage to the New World in 1502, Christopher Columbus was
forced to drop anchor near present-day Puerto Limón after a hurricane damaged his ship.
While waiting for repairs, Columbus ventured into the verdant terrain and exchanged gifts
with hospitable and welcoming chieftains. He returned from this encounter claiming to
have seen 'more gold in two days than in four years in Española'. Columbus dubbed the
stretch of shoreline from Honduras to Panama 'Veraguas', but it was his excited descrip-
