Apr 18, 2010

Nephite Ruins in Costa Rica



I have earlier proposed that Costa Rica was the center of Book of Mormon lands (refer to web page for more details).  If this proposal is correct, there should be many archaeological sites dating to Book of Mormon times in this region.  Some have argued that there are not enough sites or ruins to possibly qualify Costa Rica as the land of Zarahemla.  However, there are now 4000 listed and recognized archaeological sites in the country and the area has to date only received a cursory examination.  I anticipate that many more sites will be discovered in the future.  
In regard to ruins, I would point out that we should not expect many ruins from the Nephite culture.  They built with wood and not stone, so there should be few surviving remnants of their wooden structures. For more details refer to my web page listed above.  However, the Costa Rican artifacts of pottery, gold, jade, or their stone sculptures are equal to, or superior to, those found in Mesoamerica.   
I earlier attempted to compile a list of the Costa Rican sites but my list was very incomplete.  However, I have just discovered that the guardian of Costa Rican archaeology, the National Museum, has recently opened a web site which lists all of the discovered sites.  Not only that, but they show their location on a map and in some cases give a brief description of the site and include pictures.  This is extremely helpful to anyone wanting to study the country's archaeology and learn more of its past.  The only thing that might be desired  is a more detailed report on the site, or more in depth references.  However much of this information can be found on John Hoopes site One Hundred Years of Anthropology in Costa Rica (This site is currently being updated)