Multidisciplinary research conducted in the tropical rainforest of NW Costa Rica uncovered evidence of human occupation from Paleoindian and Archaic times through four sedentary phases to the Spanish Conquest. The village lifestyle, established by 2000 B.C., was remarkably stable and resilient in spite of the effects of at least nine prehistoric explosive eruptions of Arenal Volcano. Settlements maintained greater economic and political independence than Mesoamerican villages. Maize was cultivated by 2000 B.C., but it did not become a staple, as nondomesticated flora and fauna provided the bulk of the diet. A trend toward more elaborate funerary ritual, and toward greater distances between villages and cemeteries, occurred from 2000 B.C. to A.C. 1200. Optical (photographic) and digital remote sensing detected numerous linear anomalies, many of which have been confirmed as prehistoric footpaths that represent a system of human transportation and communication across the prehistoric landscape.
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