Submitted by coldrum ---
An indigenous cemetery was uncovered within a two hectare plot of land in Guapiles, Costa Rica, about an hour and a half east of San Jose. The cemetery, which was constructed by the Huetares tribe during the pre-Colombian era, was discovered while doing environmental studies that are required to obtain a construction permit for the building of a new high school in the area.
Researchers from the National Museum, led by archaeologist Francisco Corrales, proved the existence of a funeral complex divided into three sectors, two of which have been excavated and appear to be completely intact.
The archaeological site called Liceo, protects three tombs or mounds of stone used to cover a grave. Buried under the rocks, experts have already found an 59 ceramic artifacts, including funeral offerings and everyday objects.
According to Corrales, the cemetery was built by an indigenous group of the Huetares who inhabited the area between 300 and 800 AD. “During this phase, known as La Selva, these groups existed within a complex social organization that centered around a chief and then everything else structured into sectors,” he said. “The burial system we see here reveals the high level of development of those communities.”
A few mysteries surround the archaeologists’ discoveries. The two excavations carried out so far revealed two very different mound configurations that intrigue anthropologists. “The first sector does not have a definite form, it is like a messy blob, whereas the second is shaped like an oblong mound. The structure features two interlocking semicircles that fail to close. This design is not very common,” said Corrales.
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