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When the Spaniards came to Costa Rica, they found indigenas belonging to several different groups, including the Caribs, the Borucas, the Corobicis, and the Nahuas. These groups hunted and farmed for food.
 Indian House (Talamanca Mountains) The Spanish settlers tried to force the native peoples to work on Spanish farms. The Spaniards fought with guns, but most indigenes refused to give in. Many were killed or died of European diseases that their bodies The settlers took land away from those who survived.
These days only about 10,000 indigenas live in Costa Rica. Most stay in small communities on the coasts and on pockets of land called reserves set aside by the government.
Most reserves are in the mountains in the south. Travel is difficult in this steep, rocky region, and no roads lead there. Many indígenas on reserves live without electricity, and their children don't go to school. Some indigenas keep their ancestors' culture alive. In Guaitíl and in San Vicente, the indigenas make ceramics the same way their relatives did hundreds of years ago.
Lost civilization
 Guayabo Thousands of years ago, an unknown indigena group lived near the present day town of Guayabo. But by the year 1400, the towns people had mysteriously disappeared. These days visitors can check out this ancient town and find traces of its original inhabitants. Cobblestone roads and stone lined water tanks remind visitors of the past. Stone pillars decorated with carved jaguars and alligators rise from the ground. Scientists use clues found at the site to learn about how these early Costa Ricans lived. Still, no one knows for sure who built this civilization or why it was abandoned.
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People and Society 
