Whisper of the Past – The Pre-Colombian Indians of Lake Arenal

On September 18, 1502 on Columbus’s last voyage he landed on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica where he encountered very diverse and autonomous groups of Indians all with distinct cultures and customs.

Estimates vary greatly but somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000 years it is said that Indians settled this area having crossed the Bering Strait land bridge called Beringia sometime around 15,000 years ago and eventually migrated all the way to the tip of South America.

It is estimated that the Indian population at the time of Columbus’s discovery was somewhere in the area of 20,000. In the space of a few short years, as in all the lands the Spanish touched and conquered the populations were decimated by disease, warfare and slavery.

Some experts say that only one percent of the original pure blooded Indians remain in Costa Rica in small reserves throughout the country mainly in the far south and far north.

In the northern area immediately surrounding what is now known as Lake Arenal and to the north lived the tribe called the Maleku. These were said to be an aggressive warlike people who sometimes lived in conflict with their neighboring tribes,

They had several sacred sites in the area including the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal, which was one third its present size at that time. The lake offered great opportunity for the Indians to fish as well as the great diversity of foods and wildlife which were plentiful.

As an amateur archeologist my entire life and having several collections in museums in the United States and the Caribbean I am extremely interested in pre Colombian Indians in this area and spend the little spare time I have combing the shores of the lake for artifacts.

The level of the lake can vary 30 feet or more depending on the needs for hydro electricity and agriculture and the best time to look is when the lake is at its lowest. This exposes the wave lapped shores which have eroded to expose a tremendous variety of shards and entire pieces of pottery.

Aside from household and ceremonial pottery, there is gorgeous jade pieces and sometimes even gold.

There is one island in particular on near the western shore of the lake known as the island of the Tombs because on this small spit of land are at least 30 graves, a few of which have been dug by grave robbers, but most are untouched.

The Costa Rican Government is very concerned about private collection, ownership or sale of any of its historical treasures, unlike many of the Caribbean and Latin American countries and it is illegal to own or collect any artifacts in Costa Rica.

To be sure there are lots of private collections out there and in my opinion it would be far better for the government to permit collection of these artifacts if they were registered with the government and publicly displayed with the express stipulation that they belong to the people of Costa Rica and may not be sold.

This would open the doors to all those people who have sometimes extensive collections and would allow not only the people of Costa Rica but also the tourist industry to view this rich heritage, other than in Government owned museums.

So when you are in the Lake Area I will be happy to point you in the right direction, even help you hire a boat and send you on a very interesting ‘Whisper of the Past’ tour.

Happy Hunting

Whisper of the Past – The Pre-Colombian Indians of Lake Arenal.

Article/Property ID Number 1862

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.