Indigenous Peoples of Costa Rica

The day Columbus landed on what is today called "Isla Uvita", in front of Puerto Limón, more than a quarter of a million people and no less than eight different ethnic groups were living in Cariari (what is now called Costa Rica)!

The northwestern cultures of Costa Rica (Chorotegas) had great influence from the Aztec and Maya culture, they were the southernmost culture of what is known as Mesoamerica. The Chorotegas spoke the Nahuatl language from the Mayas and Aztecs.

Other ethnic groups like the Boruca, Bribri, Cabecar, Guaymi, Huetar and Guatuso spoke a language that had its roots in the great continent to the south. This language became more complex as the Arawak and Caribe cultures moved into permanent settlements on the Caribbean Coast adding their sounds.

Very few indigenous words survive today in common use, however you do find many then still attached to specific places, some of these are:

• Talamanca (place of blood) this probably for the butchering of turtles on the Caribbean Coast.
• Poas (a Volcano) is a buttery yellow flower that grows near the volcano's summit.

The Bribris and the Cabecars are the only two cultures that have been able to keep their religious mythos relatively pure and intact, separate of major influences from social and cultural changes. The very strength of "Sibú", supreme god and creator of their universe is running strong through the minds of all those who call themselves Cabecar / Bribri after five hundred years of change and more than twenty generations of story telling in a world built around a more overpowering religion.  This was mainly the result of their isolation in the souther forests, rather than any other reason.

Today, the Chorotega's ceramics, the Bribri's jicaro, the Guaymi's textiles and the Guatuso's stonework are still telling us stories. Today's replicas or reproductions are as genuine as the originals. Lines and colors tell stories, show beliefs, relate myths, and warrant reverence for what's sacred. The only difference is age. Clay, paints, materials, methods of production are identical to those used a thousand years ago.

When you come to Costa Rica, start your visit by touring Costa Rica's world class museums: Museo Nacional (The National Museum), Museo de Jade (The Jade Museum), and Museo de Oro (The Gold Museum). These three tours will prepare you to understand of Costa Ricas archeological and historical heritage.

The Montagua Valley in Guatemala, is the only site in all the hemisphere where what we know as "jade" is found. This leads us to the unsolved mystery of jade in Costa Rica. Was the raw material mined in Guatemala and sent to the Chorotega and other indigenous craftsmen across northern Costa Rica? Some of the finest pieces in museums today came from Costa Rican archeological sites.

For the Maya and Aztec culture, jade had a greater value than gold, and even considered that jade that medicinal powers.

Costa Rica has one of the finest Pre-Columbian Jade Museums in the world - a visit to the Jade Museum is a must.

Giant Stone Spheres

Many of these round stones are within a few degrees of being perfect circles. They are solid with smooth textured surfaces. Without having found a sphere in partial construction or a site where they may have been produced, it's difficult to understand their real purpose. Spheres the size of cars and weighing more than nine tons have been found across the countryside of southwest Costa Rica by Dr. McGuinness and many other explorers, archaeologists, and local ranchers. They may have been produced as far back as 200 or 300 A.D., whether they have been created by people during one generation of craftsmen or during a long period of time is hard to define, it is only known that the workmanship is obvious but the method of production still remain theoretical.

Guayabo National Monument

Guayabo is the largest and most important archeological site discovered to date in Costa Rica. It is difficult to determine which cultures influenced it the most, some of the buildings point to a South American influence, but Mesoamerican evidence is also present, there is an overlapping of both cultures. Human occupation of the site dates back to 1.000 BCE, the most recent studies reveal that Guayabo reached its peak from 300 to 700 A.D. This is the period when the stone buildings that can be seen today were built.

Costa Rican Gold

Most of the gold found in Costa Rica comes from the southwest region. Pieces vary in size and shapes. A great South American influence can be observed, most of the pieces represent animal figures very similar to those of the Chipchas in Colombia - frogs, eagles, and some species of animals that inflict pain on man or are dangerous are represented. Also figures of shamans or "sukias" (native medicine men) have been found

Huetar Bribri Cabecar Guaymi
Chorotega Boruca Guatuso Terraba