Exploring Costa Rica

Yesterday was an exciting day of exploration for me. I went on a tour with a group of friends to Guayabo National Monument located on the slopes of Turrialba Volcano, and the Basilica of Our Lady of The Angels in Cartago.

The Gauyabo National Monument is actually a National park located in the middle of a lush jungle protecting the Pre-Columbian ruins of a 2,500 year old city that once supported about 10,000 indigenous people. Guayabo was a prominent political and religious center until around 1400 AD after which the city was abandoned. The reason why it was abandoned is not clear. It could have been an epidemic or perhaps a war with a neighboring tribe. The site appears to have been populated from the year 1000 B.C. although the local chiefdom developed around 300 to 700 A.D. when the stone structures that can be seen today were built.

They discovered large stone roads, round foundations to homes and stone aquaduct that had to have been carried in by hand. There were no beasts of burden back during this time in Central America. The aqueduct is still operational, and the water was recently tested to be 97% pure! This was the most important find in Costa Rica because there are only two Pre-Columbian functioning aqueducts. One in Machu Pitcchu, Peru and this one in Costa Rica.

Mound where the Chief's home was built.

Burial grounds and tombs discovered.