INTERREGIONAL “LANDSCAPES OF MOVEMENT” AND THE LA UNIÓN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRICT OF NORTHEASTERN COSTA RICA By Copyright 2012 Adam Kevin Benfer Submitted to the graduate degree program in the Department of Anthropology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master’s of Arts. ______________________________ Dr. John W. Hoopes, Chairperson ______________________________ Dr. Peter H. Herlihy ______________________________ Dr. Frederic Sellet Date Defended: 4/12/2012 UMI Number: 1515414 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent on the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 1515414 Copyright 2012 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 The Thesis Committee for Adam Kevin Benfer certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: INTERREGIONAL “LANDSCAPES OF MOVEMENT” AND THE LA UNIÓN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRICT OF NORTHEASTERN COSTA RICA ______________________________ Dr. John W. Hoopes, Chairperson Date approved: 4/18/2012 ii ABSTRACT In Costa Rica and the Circum-Caribbean, identifying the locations, functions, and evolution of past networks of human movement contributes to understanding pre-Hispanic interregional interactions and exchanges. I hypothesize the existence of Period VI (A.D. 1000 – 1550) routes of interdistrict movement between the northeastern Caribbean Lowlands and the Central Highlands of Costa Rica. To test this hypothesis, I use a multiple-method approach: archival research of historic roads and paths, archaeological reconnaissance of late pre-Hispanic features, and geographic information systems (GIS) least cost path (LCP) and least cost corridor (LCC) analyses. I discuss the possible functions and evaluate the roles of these routes among other interconnected networks. While archaeologists have documented some pre-Hispanic roads and paths in Costa Rica, few pre-Hispanic interregional routes of human movement have been identified. During the Colonial Period, the Spanish utilized these same landscapes of movement and waterscapes of movement for their own transportation and communication. Since the use of some routes persist into the present, archival research can reveal routes of pre-Hispanic movement. The results of my investigations show that there is a relationship between the optimal (GIS modeled) and historical landscapes of movement with the archaeological evidence that such a route existed during the late pre-Hispanic. While a regional archaeological survey is required to identify the late pre-Hispanic network of movement, my multiple-method approach identifies segments of that network and examines how humans moved across the landscape of northwestern Costa Rica over one thousand years ago. Key words: Costa Rica, archaeology, Circum-Caribbean, pre-Hispanic Era, Cartago Phase, La Cabaña Phase, Caribbean Lowlands, Central Highlands, human movement, landscapes of movement, waterscapes of movement, Nuevo Corinto (L-72 NC), Las Flores (L-143 LF) iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I first took up the topic of the Central American pre-Hispanic roads and paths while I was studying abroad at the University of Costa Rica during the spring of 2008 in a course taught by Floria Arrea Siermann, who suggested the topic. Since 2008, I have received much guidance through this topic from Costa Rican colleagues: Dr. Silvia Salgado González, Dr. Eugenia Ibarra Rojas, Ricardo Vázquez Leiva, and Myrna Rojas Garro. Other Costa Rican colleagues, including Mónica Aguilar Bonilla, Marco Arce Cerdas, Sergio García Piedra, Carolina Cavallini Morales, Silvia Sanabria Hernández, María Ramírez Chinchilla, María Graciela Campos, Danny Orozco Solano, and Jeffrey Petroquín Gómez, inspired my research by lending me a helping hand or ear while I was conducting my research. Funding from the KU Center of Latin American Studies, the Tinker Foundation, and the KU Department of Anthropology made my 2010 field research possible. Additionally, this research was supported indirectly through a KU-UCR Partnership to John Hoopes and Silvia Salgado in 2008, a Franklin Research Grant from the American Philosophical Society to John Hoopes in 2009, and by a KU-UCR Partnership Award to John Hoopes, Silvia Salgado, Steven Bozarth, and Guaria Cárdenes in 2010 that supported ongoing archaeological field research, including reconnaissance, mapping, and excavations at Nuevo Corinto. My research would not have been possible without the assistance and guidance of many people. Sergio Barquero Ramírez and Rodolfo Tenorio Jiménez of Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo respectively helped me with my research of the history and archaeology of the parks territory. Luis Sáenz Cruz deserves much thanks for his informed guidance when researching the Carrillo Road. The fantastic staff at the Archivo Nacional de Costa Rica and the Biblioteca Nacional de Costa Rica helped me navigate through the archival data to locate the crucial documents pertaining to the history of human movement through the Cordillera Central. The iv entire Rojas family deserves many thanks for their support of our research at the Nuevo Corinto Site. In particular, Isaías and Marta Arguedas extended much hospitality to me to me during my 2010 fieldwork, providing me a comfortable room, delicious food, and guidance within the community and landscape of La Unión. I would also like to thank Blanca Nieves Salguero Sánchez and her family who, back in 2008, introduced to me to Costa Rican culture and have provided me with a home away from home whenever I can make it back to Curridabat. At the University of Kansas, I received much advise over the years from Drs. Anita Hertzfeld, Jane W. Gibson, Frederic Sellet, Peter H. Herlihy, Donald D. Stull, and many of my professors. Most of all, the outstanding advise of my advisor, Dr. John W. Hoopes, helped me develop my research skills, refine my thesis questions, and establish my methodology in addition to providing me with much wisdom I will always carry. I owe much thanks to Antoinette C. Egitto, Greg L. Kauffman, Michael H. Davis, Kristina Sophia Della Davis, B.J. Gray, and the rest of my fellow graduate students in the Department of Anthropology for constant encouragement they provided me with while conducting my research and writing it up. Throughout the process of writing my thesis, I received amazing writing support and tutorship from Elizabeth Byleen, Rebecca Barrett-Fox, Liana Silva, Edma Ixchel Delgado, and Raven Naramore. Without help from Andrew S. Gottsfield, Michael P. Bergervoet, Antoinette C. Egitto, John H. Kelly, Andrew Hilburn, and Rhonda Houser could not have conquered the GIS portions of my thesis. In addition, I owe my parents and brothers gratitude for their encouraging words and never-ending support. Last, but not least, I owe everlasting gratefulness to Julian Rivera for never ceasing to love and encourage me even when Rico took priority. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………………………………..1 The Archaeology of Roads, Trails, and Paths……...……………………………………...3 The Archaeology of Landscapes of Movement in Costa Rica……….…………………...4 Objectives and Hypotheses………………………………………………………………..9 Preview of Methods…….………………………………………………………………..15 Chapter 2: Theory……………………………………………………………………………18 Landscape Archaeologies…………………………………………………………….….18 Direct Historical Approach……………………………………………………………....27 World-Systems Analyses………………………………………………………………...32 Chapter 3: The Central Region and Its Landscapes of Movement…………………….…….43 The Central Region as Part of the Isthmo-Colombian Area…………………………..…43 The Landscapes of Movement of the Central Region…………………………………...49 Discerning the Networks of Movement in the Central Region…………………….……75 Nuevo Corinto and the Archaeological Landscape of the La Unión District………..…..79 Chapter 4: Methods…………………………………………………………………………..89 Archival Research……………………………………………………………………..…89 Archaeological Reconnaissance…………...…………………………………….……….91 GIS Queries: Cost Surface Analyses….……………………………………….………...93 Chapter 5: Findings and Interpretations……………………………………..……...………105 Historical Landscapes of Movement.……………………………………..……………106 Archaeological Reconnaissance in Search of Pre-Hispanic Landscapes of Movement..118 Optimal Landscapes of Movement: LCPs and LCCs…………………………………..134 Final Interpretations: A Glimpse into the World-System….…………..……………….139 Chapter 6: Conclusions……………………………………………………………………..147 Glossary of Abbreviations and Unfamiliar Terms………………………………………….155 References Cited……………………………………………………………………………156 vi LIST OF FEATURES AND TABLES Figure 1: Location of Nuevo Corinto……………………………………………………………..2 Figure 2: Archaeological Sites with Road and Path Features in the Central Region……………..7 Figure 3: Study Area Map……………………………………………………………………..…..9 Figure 4: The Circum-Caribbean World………………………………………………….……...38 Figure 5: Map of Isthmo-Colombian Subareas………………………………………….……….46 Figure 6: Sites Discussed in the Literature Review…………………………………….………..49 Figure 7: Agua Caliente Site Plan……………………………………………………….……….52 Figure 8: Cutris Site Plan..……………………………………………………………….………57 Figure 9: Road Network of Cutris……………………………………………………….………59 Figure