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<< Our Photo Pages >> Guayabo National Monument - Ancient Village or Settlement in Costa Rica

Submitted by bat400 on Wednesday, 18 May 2011  Page Views: 10412

Multi-periodSite Name: Guayabo National Monument Alternative Name: Guayabo de Turrialba
Country: Costa Rica Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Cervantes  Nearest Village: Turrialba
Latitude: 9.972700N  Longitude: 83.69075W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
4
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Guayabo National Monument
Guayabo National Monument submitted by Creative Commons : Guayabo National Monument Guayabo is Costa Rica's only known site showing evidence of a substantial pre-Columbian city. This is a view from high above, showing the main plaza with mounds and the long formal entry street. It's bigger than it looks! Creative Commons image by Anita363 (Vote or comment on this photo)
Ancient Village or Settlement in Cartago, Costa Rica.
El Guayabo is the largest archaeological site in Costa Rica accessible to the public. Situated in the cloud forest east of San Jose, this Chibchan culture settlement featured buildings with stone foundations sited on man-made earthen mounds, plazas, and a system of aqueducts that routed water through the town.

Part of this water system is still functioning. Stone paved roads and crop terraces were part of the infrastructure that have been revealed by archaeologists.

Petroglyphs and carved stone features are found throughout the site. Much of the artwork features stylized birds and animals.

The park also has camping areas for visitors.

For driving directions see the park website.

Note: Ancient cultures and prehistoric discoveries in Costa Rica
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Guayabo National Monument
Guayabo National Monument submitted by Andy B : Jaguar & Lizard Guayabo is Costa Rica's only known site showing evidence of a substantial pre-Columbian city. This monolith was found in the jungle near the central plaza. Creative Commons image by Anita363 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Guayabo National Monument
Guayabo National Monument submitted by Andy B : Waterworks, Guayabo National Monument Guayabo is Costa Rica's only known site showing evidence of a substantial pre-Columbian city. It included extensive waterworks, including this settlement tank to remove sediment from the water. Creative Commons image by Anita363 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Guayabo National Monument
Guayabo National Monument submitted by Andy B : Entrance, Guayabo National Monument Guayabo is Costa Rica's only known site showing evidence of a substantial pre-Columbian city. These are the formal stairs leading up to a long, paved ceremonial street approaching the site. Creative Commons image by Anita363 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Guayabo National Monument
Guayabo National Monument submitted by Creative Commons : Mound, Guayabo National Monument Guayabo is Costa Rica's only known site showing evidence of a substantial pre-Columbian city. Creative Commons image by Anita363 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Guayabo National Monument
Guayabo National Monument submitted by Creative Commons : Guayabo Monument, Costa Rica Creative Commons image by Trendy64 - lutz@alpenjodel.de

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 23.0km NNE 21° Las Mercedes* Ancient Village or Settlement
 28.5km NNW 338° Liceo Barrow Cemetery
 32.4km WSW 258° Tres Rios Barrow Cemetery
 41.8km W 264° San José Supreme Court Carving
 41.9km W 264° Plaza de la Justicia Carving
 41.9km W 264° Museo Nacional de Costa Rica Museum
 42.0km W 264° San José Legislative Assembly Carving
 43.4km W 264° Parque de la Merced Carving
 55.1km W 268° Santa Ana, San José Carving
 59.0km WSW 251° Orosi* Artificial Mound
 77.3km WNW 301° Anita Grande* Artificial Mound
 90.9km WNW 289° Williamsberg Mounds* Artificial Mound
 111.8km S 170° Grijalba 2 Carving
 111.8km S 171° Ciudad Cortés Carving
 112.6km SSE 152° Bolas* Carving
 114.2km SSE 168° Batambal Carving
 115.0km SSE 167° Osa Technical College Carving
 115.4km SSE 167° Parque de Palmar Norte* Carving
 115.9km SSE 166° El Silencio Carving
 115.9km SSE 168° Parque Las Esferas Carving
 118.2km S 169° Finca 5 Carving
 119.5km SSE 157° Museo Comunitario de Rey Curré Carving
 120.4km S 169° Finca 6* Carving
 126.0km S 169° Parque Central de Sierpe Carving
 150.5km SSE 148° San Vito Carving
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"Guayabo National Monument" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Early New World Monumentality (University Press of Florida) by Andy B on Tuesday, 07 October 2014
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Monuments Complexity Intermediate Area (2012) by Jeffrey Quilter
features Guayabo de Turrialba

The region from eastern El Salvador and Honduras through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia is well known for its goldwork and as a center of highly developed chiefdom societies. But it should be equally renowned for its extensive and impressive large-scale constructions.

https://www.academia.edu/4248674/Monuments_Complexity_Intermediate_Area_2012

from Early New World Monumentality

http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9780813042732

https://www.academia.edu/3546740/Considering_Early_New_World_Monumentality

In studies of ancient civilizations, the focus is often on the temples, palaces, and buildings created and then left behind, both because they survive and because of the awe they still inspire today. From the Mississippian mounds in the United States to the early pyramids of Peru, these monuments have been well-documented, but less attention has been paid to analyzing the logistical complexity involved in their creation.

In this collection, prominent archaeologists explore the sophisticated political and logistical organizations that were required to plan and complete these architectural marvels. They discuss the long-term political, social, and military impacts these projects had on their respective civilizations, and illuminate the significance of monumentality among early complex societies in the Americas.

Early New World Monumentality is ultimately a study of labor and its mobilization, as well as the long-term spiritual awe and political organization that motivated and were enhanced by such undertakings. Mounds and other impressive monuments left behind by earlier civilizations continue to reveal their secrets, offering profound insights into the development of complex societies throughout the New World.
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Ancient cultures and prehistoric discoveries in Costa Rica by Andy B on Wednesday, 18 May 2011
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To most people, Costa Rican history begins with the arrival of the Spanish in 1502. Recent developments and archeological finds are painting a far different picture however. In fact, there is increasing evidence that ancient cultures thrived in the land of Pura Vida long before European explorers cast covetous eyes upon its beauty and natural riches.

Three archeological sites in various parts of the country give an interesting glimpse into pre-Columbian life: Guayabo and La Montana complex in Turrialba, the footpaths of Lake Arenal, and . Each site offers a different window into who the ancient Costa Ricans were and how they lived.

The first, and probably the most notable, is Guayabo de Turrialba. This 540 acre – which is roughly 219 hectares – site can be found in Turrialba on the southern slope of the Turrialba Volcano.

The Guayabo National Park monument was established to preserve the ruins of the city even as archeologists continue to unearth details about the settlement and those who lived there. To date, it is estimated that Guayabo was established and inhabited somewhere around 1500 B.C. During the height of its existence, the city may have held between 10,000 and 25,000 people. For unknown reasons, the settlement seems to have been abandoned by 1400 A.D.-nearly a century before the Spanish arrived. Curiously, no record was left by the Spanish as to whether they had discovered the location and, if so, what condition it was in.

Though only about 10% of the site has been excavated, stone streets, various structures, water cisterns and numerous petroglyphs all provide evidence of a vibrant and thriving society. Scientists have also theorized from the drawings that there was a dual power structure-the political chief, known as Cacique and a religious/spiritual leader called Saman. Perhaps as you visit Guayabo, you may be the one to unlock its mysteries.

There is also a second location in Turrialba known as La Montana complex. Though not as extensive as the Guayabo settlement, pottery shards found there dated from 1500 to 300 B.C.; some archeologists feel that these samples must have been pre-dated by even earlier types of ceramic objects-perhaps as old as 2000 B.C.

Lake Arenal

Another location which is far more mysterious in origin can be found near the shores of Lake Arenal. Known for the majestic volcano that stands sentinel over the valley, Arenal became the focus of one Payson Sheets, an archeologist from the University of Colorado. Using NASA remote sensing technology, Sheets discovered the existence of remote footpaths both around and under the current Lake Arenal during these aerial surveys in 1985.

These footpaths, some dating back to 500 B.C., lifted a curtain on the life and culture of the ancients who used them as part of their daily existence. Sheets and other behavioral archeologists theorized that wandering bands may have lived around the volcano as early as 10,000 B.C. although a permanent settlement probably did not become established until around 2000 B.C.

These early settlers would move away during eruptions and then return to their crops and settlement when Arenal grew quiet. Much like the citizens of Guayabo, these lake residents vanished around 1400 B.C. The belief is that a plague, not the Volcano, is what ended their days.

The last area which has revealed some pre-history of Costa Rica is the Nicoya peninsula. As science continues to pull back the layers of time, there is increasing evidence that the Olmecs and the earliest Ticos did interact. Ceramics found near Guanacaste, dating from 300 B.C. show this influence and, possibly, could be a prelude to finding a much stronger connection between the ancient MesoAmericans and the “pre-Ticos.”

So as you explore the wonders of this land of riches, know that you follow the footsteps of the ancients who, like you, were looking for their special place in paradise.

Mo

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