National Parks

GUAYABO

Area:
217 Ha

Location: On the slopes of Turrialba Volcano, Cartago Province, 19 Km north of the city of Turrialba.

This is the largest and most important archaeological site discovered in the country. The appearance of human occupation seem to go back to 500 B.C. Its Costa Rica Natural Travel development took place between 800 and 1,400 A.D. when the stone structures, still standing today, were built. A series of villages is thought to have existed around the central area, providing shelter for a rural population of 1,500 to 2,000 people.

Its Costa Rica Natural Travel architectural features are: cabble-paved causeways and streets; terraced stairways, designed to overcome the differences in height between the causeways and mounds; retaining wall; bridges; mounds used as foundations for housing; open and walled-in aqueducts, many still in use 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 encountered.

Also, an example of the tall, evergreen forest typical of the region, is found here. The predominant trees include the elm, bitter cedar, manni, and magnolia.

Fauna is scarce because of the monument's small size. Birds are the most conspicuous, the most numerous being tucans and Montezuma oropendolas. There are also insects, lizards, frogs, toads, and some mammals.