The following day we were up bright and early to drive up another volcano, Volcan Poas. In true Costa Rican style however, the entry fee was exorbitant, and it was pouring with rain. The park ranger advised us that we would still have to pay full price, even though the volcano was obscured by cloud, and we wouldn’t be able to see a thing. We decided to cut our losses, and drive 2 hours back down the mountain, and onto Costa Rica’s largest archeological site. We arrived after closing time, but a friendly guide let us camp in his driveway for the night. As usual, it was raining, so we huddled in the car and played cards for 6 hours before bed.
The first thing you see when you enter the Guayabo National Monument, is a wide smooth stone road (all excavated, and rebuilt by volunteers) which is better than many of Central America’s national highways. The ancient people who used this road built it for show. They didn’t have domestic animals yet, or carts but wanted to show off to surrounding towns with a large lavish road. After the flashy entrance road were a number of raised grass hills, which would once have been pads for grass and wood houses. The highlight of this sight was the aqueduct which filtered water and fed it into the center of town. Volunteers say that when the sight was uncovered and jungle stripped from the aqueduct sight, fresh filtered water began to flow again, over 1000 years after creation.
While small compared to other sites we have visited, the advanced nature of the aqueduct system made it worth the trip. Make sure you get a guide, it’s well worth the extra money.
The first thing you see when you enter the Guayabo National Monument, is a wide smooth stone road (all excavated, and rebuilt by volunteers) which is better than many of Central America’s national highways. The ancient people who used this road built it for show. They didn’t have domestic animals yet, or carts but wanted to show off to surrounding towns with a large lavish road. After the flashy entrance road were a number of raised grass hills, which would once have been pads for grass and wood houses. The highlight of this sight was the aqueduct which filtered water and fed it into the center of town. Volunteers say that when the sight was uncovered and jungle stripped from the aqueduct sight, fresh filtered water began to flow again, over 1000 years after creation.
While small compared to other sites we have visited, the advanced nature of the aqueduct system made it worth the trip. Make sure you get a guide, it’s well worth the extra money.