July 27: Guayabo and Bocadito del Cielo

Dear Friends and Relatives,

All of us were up by 7:00 a.m. to do some laundry.  Alexandra indulged in a 45-minute yoga session (fascinating to watch, and a practice which I plan to start again, once school has started).  Then we had breakfast, which for me included yogurt, watermelon, and coffee.  

Following this recharge, we proceeded by car to the Monumento Nacional Guayabo, the most accessible ancient archaeological site in Costa Rica, discovered by explorer Anastasio Alfaro at the end of the 19th c.  The remains of the town of Guayabo, believed to have been inhabited from about 300 BC to 1400 AD, were only excavated in the late 1960s.  The site was a dairy farm until 1968.  Facing the considerable difficulties posed by the density of the rainforest terrain, the Guayabo managed not only to live in harmony, in an environment that remains hostile to human inhabitation, but also constructed a complex system of water management and social organization, and expressed themselves through the language of petroglyphs.  Other than this, little is known of them, and there are no clues as to why Guayabo was ultimately abandoned, though hypotheses include an epidemic or war with neighboring tribes.  

We got there and, as there was only a bit of signage, we engaged a guide, who spoke Spanish.  Federico translated what we did not understand, and it was quite an effective form of communicating.  A mirador provided an overview of the place, and then we walked the 1.6 km trail, which wound its way among the mounds.  Most if the heaps of stones and basic structures now exposed were erected between 300 and 700 AD, although the aqueducts at the NW end, which are still working, , are 2000 years old.   Excavation has shown that the Guayabo were particularly skilled in water conducting.  

At the heart of the town is the central mound.  Of the 43 mounds that make up the site, this is the tallest circular base unearthed so far, with two staircases and pottery remains at the top.  Guayabo houses were built to a hierarchical system, and it is likely that this was the home of the community chief, a cacique, who had both social and religious power.  Near the central mound can be seen the tombs which have been uncovered in various parts of the site.  They were constructed of layers of rock brought from surrounding rivers.  Looters plundered them long ago.  Beyond, at the E end of the site, a paved road, the Calzada Caragra, runs for 200 m before disappearing into thick jungle.  The main entrance to town, this was believed to have once stretched for 20 km. From the road you could see the Turrialba volcano in the distance, surrounded by its attendant clouds.   

The people of Guayabo brought stones to the site from a great distance.  Petroglyphs have been found on 53 of these.  Most are now in the Museo Nacional in San José, which we might visit tomorrow.  There are carvings on these rocks featuring lizard and jaguar gods, as well as a patterned rock called Sky Stone, believed by some experts to represent a celestial map of the southern skies, and therefore possibly of use as an ancient calendar.

From Guayabo we went to lunch at about 2:00 p.m., and were quite famished.  We ate at a wonderful restaurant on the way that had been highly recommended by Kimberley Coleman--Bocadito del Cielo--a great name which translates as "Little Mouth of Heaven."  Federico had a pancake there, as well as jalapeño papers stuffed inside what looked like croquettes.  Alexandra had chicharrones, which consisted of pork and plantains, and I had a hearty soup made up of several new root vegetables, rice, potatoes, and chunks of beef.  From the restaurant there are views of forests, lakes, hills, agricultural plantations, picturesque towns, and the Valle de Orosí.

And now we are back at the house, and Federico is taking a nap, while Alexandra reads and I complete this blog.  Tonight, Alexandra is going to split her first real coconut!  Looking forward to see how that turns out!  As ever, Sylvia and Alexandra

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas