It is believed that the site was inhabited from 1500 BCE (BC) till about 1400 CE (AD), and though very little of what was once a city of 10.000 or more souls has been excavated, visitors can see parts of roadways, aqueducts, pools, tombs and the foundations of homes.  Plus unique petroglyphs used as markers, maps, and more.

The monuments main architectural features are: cobble-paved causeways and streets; terraced stairways, designed to overcome the differences in height between the causeways and mounds; retaining walls; bridges; mounds used as foundations for housing; open and walled-in aqueducts, many still in functioning today; and cisterns: rectangular structures where water from the aqueducts was stored.

There are petroglyphs everywhere, some representing animals such as: birds and cats, and others which do not appear to have any significance. Ceremonial monolithic tables, petroglyphs, pottery shards, and other items are also found at the site. In addition, an example of the tall, evergreen forests typical of the region is found here. The predominant trees include the elm, bitter cedar, manni and magnolia.

Fauna is scarce because of the small size of the  remaining preserved area. Birds are the most conspicuous, the most numerous being toucans and Montezuma Oropendolas. Some species of insects, lizards, frogs, and toads are common to the area.

• Guayabo Site Photos

• Guayabo Artifacts

• Indigenous Peoples

• Petroglyphs

• History
  
  
  Also Vist:

• Diquis Stone Balls

• Costa Rican Jade

• Costa Rican Gold

• Precolumbian Museums

Excavation Underway Now

Overview (As It Was In 2003)
some photos ©1997 Michael L. Smith
others by Dr. Tim McGuinness

Considered Costa Rica's most important and fascinating archeological site, these ancient ruins remain virtually undiscovered by tourists. This only adds to its unique appeal, because even at the height of tourism season you can enjoy a serene self-guided tour and see more wildlife than people. But the site only shows a small portion of this major city.  To date only a few house mounds have been uncovered, as well as a small portion of the vast paved roadway system that extends hundreds of miles.

Who built this lost city? Why did its inhabitants vanish just before the Spanish landed and colonized the area around what is now Puerto Limón on the Caribbean coast? This ancient civilization remains more mysterious than the Mayan empire.  This is because the Guayabo peoples left behind no written record of their culture, just the architectural works, and the enigmatic carved stone petroglyphs (many are now missing).

Though the ruins were discovered more than 100 years ago, archaeologists have unraveled few of its many enigmas and don't even know the name of the city or its inhabitants.  As one who was fortunate to work on this city, I can say that the true extent is still to be fully known.

Evidence uncovered in archeological digs reveals their main crop was maize (corn), and they were also great hunters and gatherers. Holding sway politically, religiously and commercially over the region, they constructed roads that radiate from the central city to other populated sites. 

To what extent they had contact with other peoples in the greater region is not precisely clear.  Artifacts of clear Mayan design have been found in the area.  Plus there is evidence of connections with cultures in Columbian and Panama.

Ancient Stone Roads and Aqueducts Restored

The 6.5-meter (21-foot)-wide Caragra Causeway has been partially reconstructed. Its original length was at least four km. (2.4 miles), but only 225 m. (738 feet) of it have so far been rebuilt. Though it is clear, this is part of a vast system of wide-paved roads the extend throughout the Cartago province.  This segment, passing between two rectangular stone structures as it enters the city, the road winds around the largest mound and on to a rectangular water tank fed by a network of covered and uncovered aqueducts.

Archaeologists from a variety of instituions, topographers and other scientists devoted approximately eight years to rebuilding the road and various key structures, completing the task in 1995.

Overview

Guayabo is not a Tikal or similar pyramid city, so don't look for towering pyramids or vast plazas. Guayabo was a city built from local materials, wood and stone.  Circular and rectangular mounds, composed of the same irregularly shaped stone that served as building blocks for the roads, were the foundations for tall, conical thatched dwellings (called Pelenques) reminiscent of those in a Polynesian village.   This was a large functional city, with large family dwellings, and a working infrastructure.

The biggest mound discovered to date (only 15% of the 50-acre designated site has been reconstructed, though the city may be far larger than what is presently designated) is believed to have housed a high-ranking religious or political leader.  Based upon petroglyph map stones, this is believed to be the center of the city.

The 1,200 m. (4,000-foot) Los Montículos nature trail features conveniently labeled poles bearing numbers that correspond to numbered paragraphs in the park service's color brochure, eliminating the need for a guide. Highlights of the peaceful walk include more archeological sights, such as the "coffin graves" and what is thought to be Costa Rica's first bridge.

Birds and butterflies abound. Sloths, armadillos, rabbits and other creatures may be spotted among the foliage. Ferns, orchids and other epiphytes cling to the tree trunks and branches.

You may even spy an extremely rare plant, Turpinia cubensis, so far found only in this region of Costa Rica and in Guatemala. The stately white burío trees whose bark was used to make hammocks and roofs, guava trees (guayabo means guava in Spanish), hollow-trunked guaramo trees inhabited by ants and a staggering variety of epiphytes will delight nature lovers.

A leisurely hour is enough to walk the trails and view the ceramics and other artifacts on display across the road from the park's entrance. Add more time if you wish to pause for bird watching or some quiet reflection to the backdrop of bubbling streams and beautiful vistas of clouds drifting through the hills.