Monumento Nacional Guayabo

Esta entrada fue actualizada el 19 de agosto del 2014.

(This post was updated August 19th, 2014.)

Guayabo National Monument

Santa Teresita de Turrialba, Cartago

Montículos redondos
(Circular mounds)

Guayabo National Monument is a national monument in the Central Volcanic

Conservation Area in the Cartago Province of Costa Rica that covers the largest
archaeological site in the country. Still partly unexplored the area contains ancient
bridges and dwellings, and petroglyphs have been found that are estimated at about
3,000 years old.

It has an extension of 217,9 hectares (538.4 acres). It was declared National

Monument in 1973 to preserve its archeological wealth and offer opportunities for
research, education and recreational activities.

Even though there are several theories regarding the origin of the people that founded
this site, most of them agree that the site was occupied between 1000 AC and 1400.
Estimates indicate that small villages existed nearby, with a total population of 2,000
people.

Archeological studies have shown that Costa Rica and especially this site, received
influence from North and South America, locating it in the denominated intermediate
area that goes from Alajuela in Costa Rica to the north Colombian Caribbean.

Archaeologists estimate that this precolombian city was inhabited by specialized people
in several fields, leaded by an indian chief, which exercise the political and religious
power over a great region.

The reasons why this site was abandoned are unknown to this day. Estimates indicate
that the inhabitants left the city 100 years before the Spaniards came to America,
although it is believed that wars, diseases and internal conflicts are probable causes of
the abandonment.

The total archeological area is 15 to 20 hectares (37 to 49.4 acres) of which only a
small part has been excavated. In this area mounds, stairs, roadways, open and
enclosed aqueducts, water storage tanks, tombs, petroglyphs, monoliths and
sculptures are found.
Circular mounds of different sizes, made of rocks are found in the center of the
Monument. Their sizes are variable, with diameters from 10 to 30 meters (33 to 98
feet) and heights from 5 to 45 meters (16 to 147 feet).

The roadways were used as roads as well as drainage systems. There are roadways in
different directions that extend beyond the excavated area for several kilometers.

On the site there is a complex system of aqueducts, some of which is area functioning
today. Their main objective was to serve as open and closed channels to take water to
desired sites or storage tanks that are located in the main site of the city. The
structures are made of stone.

Also box shaped tombs are found in several sites of the Monument, which were build
with round stones and rectangular cut rocks used as lids. (Source: Guayabo National
Monument, available on September 24th, 2010)
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In 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) denominated Guayabo an

International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (see photographs below).

Información general
(General information)
Español
(Spanish)
 English

Mapa turístico de la provincia de Cartago

(Touristic map of the Cartago province)