What Archaeologists Can’t See: contrasting ethnohistorical and archaeological data in Talamanca, Costa Rica in the 16th century

Summary

Archaeologist Francisco Corrales and myself recently undertook the study of the exploitation of natural resources and their exchange in the areas close to Juan Vázquez de Coronado´s route in 1564, traced from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean in Southeastern and Southwestern Costa Rica. This presentation aims to underline how resources of the different altitudes on both slopes formed an important part of the various activities carried out by the inhabitants during the 16th. century and immediately before. I will detail the paraphernalia used by usékares and sukias as it becomes important to understand the nature, presence and movement of distinct objects. I will also discuss how, on the area, ethnohistorical, ethnographical, linguistic and mythological data are able to depict clues to the presence or absence of material culture. The Museo Nacional de Costa Rica holds materials coming from that precise area, with no context. A sharper look at written sources can help reconstruct the sociocultural dynamics which can aid archaeologists to interpret and orient their specific work objectives.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20208