Monumento Nacional Guayabo

This Indigenous Tour in Costa Rica Will Teach You How to Help Our Planet

"An archaeological park where visitors can hike among the ruins of a settlement occupied as early as 3,000 years ago, offering interpretive guidance from park naturalists about the region’s Indigenous peoples — including the Cabecar, whose territories extend to the distant Talamanca Range — and opportunities to spot native wildlife such as the gray-headed chachalaca amid forested trails." - Tim Neville

"Guayabo National Monument Costa Rica’s largest archaeological find was uncovered in the late 1800s as laborers cleared land to plant coffee. The 540-acre site, believed to have once been home to 10,000 people, was abandoned before the Spaniards arrived. Its ancient residents left behind artifacts and relics that attest to major advances in civil engineering, notably aqueducts, paved streets, and sophisticated drainage systems, achievements that have led to the area’s designation as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Hiring a guide is recommended for understanding the site’s importance; it features several impressive monoliths, fascinating petroglyphs, and stone carvings that depict the jaguars and alligators that were central to indigenous belief systems. By Travesías"