a ceremonial center within a university campus

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A ceremonial center within a University campus: Las Mercedes

Archaeological Site, EARTH University, Costa Rica

Ricardo O. Russo

Professor, EARTH University - National Association of Agricultural & Forestry Extensionists (ANEAF)

International Mini-Conference Indigenous Revival and Sacred Sites Conservation

Geography Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. USA

April 5-7, 2012

Introduction

EARTH was established by Costa Rican law in 1986 as a private, non-profit, international

University, with the support of the Costa Rican Government, U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID) and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Since 1990, EARTH Universitys innovative

educational approach has been preparing young people from Latin America, the Caribbean and

other regions, including Africa and Asia, to contribute to the sustainable development of their

countries and construct a prosperous and just society.

EARTH offers a four-year undergraduate program in agricultural sciences and natural resources

management, providing a world-class scientific and technological education that emphasizes

values, ethical entrepreneurship and environmental and social commitment.

EARTH University facilities guard the remains of an important archaeological site: Las Mercedes.

Las Mercedes is located in Gucimo, in the Province of Limn, Central Atlantic Region, between

the foothills of the Turrialba Volcano, and the Caribbean lowlands (Figure 1).

Las Mercedes site was discovered in 1871 and was first reported by publication in 1901. Artifacts

from Las Mercedes are on display in museums in the United States and Europe. The site was the

subject of very little research in the twentieth century and, rather, disturbance from looting and

agriculture was severe. However, the core of the site retains impressive traces of its occupation

and architecture. Research by the National Museum of Costa Rica, in collaboration with foreign

universities, in 2005, 2009, and 2012, has allowed progress in defining the size and configuration

of the site core (Portions translated from R. Vzques lecture, October 2009).


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Figure 1. Location of Las Mercedes Archaelogical site, Costa Rica.

Las Mercedes was the center of a large chiefdom that existed from AD 1000 to 1500, it comprises

an area of 25 hectares, including a plaza for public ceremonies surrounded by high-status

residences, sensu a team of researchers of the Costa Rican National Museum, lead by the

archaeologist Ricardo Vzquez. The site contains a variety of architectural features including

platforms, plazas, retaining walls or terraces, funerary areas, ramps, and paved roads (Figure 2).

Las Mercedes is divided into 3 large complexes: Las Mercedes-1, Las Mercedes-2, and Las

Mercedes-3. However, only Las Mercedes-1 has been extensively studied. Excavations at Las

Mercedes-1 have revealed that it has an area of 5 hectares and consists of 7 platforms, 2 plazas, 6

retaining walls or terraces, 7 walls, 4 funerary areas, 1 ramp, and is where the two roads converge.


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Figure 2. Las Mercedes Archaelogical site, Costa Rica. Source:

http://www.nacion.com/MMediaFiles/nacioncom/f6/f66aee72-1287-468f-9202-3623d5ff6ef4.pdf

How old is Las Mercedes?

Radiocarbon dates suggest that the major phase of architectural construction at the sites center

began circa A.D. 1000 and that occupation continued through to the colonial period. Two paved

causeways link the central monumental compound to outlying settlements 1.5 km away.

Numerous stone sculptures (such as the 4.5 foot high example of a chief wearing a crocodile mask

and holding a trophy head pictured below) have been recovered from the site. Furthermore,there

are at least 5 secondary centers around Las Mercedes that were the seats of smaller secondary

chiefs that likely paid tribute to the rulers of Las Mercedes. (Rosenswig 2012

http://www.albany.edu/anthro/15505.php )
http://www.nacion.com/MMediaFiles/nacioncom/f6/f66aee72-1287-468f-9202-3623d5ff6ef4.pdfhttp://www.nacion.com/MMediaFiles/nacioncom/f6/f66aee72-1287-468f-9202-3623d5ff6ef4.pdfhttp://www.nacion.com/MMediaFiles/nacioncom/f6/f66aee72-1287-468f-9202-3623d5ff6ef4.pdf


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Figure 3. Retaining wall in the site core flanked by a cobblestone pavement. Source: R. Vasquez,

2009

Figure 4. Other example of cobblestone architecture in the core area. Source: R. Vasquez, 2009


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Figure 5. Source of construction material in the Dos Novillos River 600 meters from the

Las Mercedes site. Source: R. Vasquez, 2009

Figure 6. Archaeologists Robert Rosenswig (SUNY, Albany) and Ricardo Vzquez (Museo nacional)

participated in the removal of a Chac moolat Las Mercedes Site, Gucimo, Limn. The

sculpture is anthropozoomorphic. Photo: Alonso Tenorio, La Nacin, Costa Rica, 2012.


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Figure 7. More recently, Archaeologist Dennis Blanton, a graduate in Anthropology,

University of Georgia, discovered and excavated a large chac mool sculpture this year.

Personal communication.

Figure 8. Archaeologists Robert Rosenswig (SUNY, Albany) and Gerardo Alarcon (Museo Nacional)

participated in the removal of a pre-Columbian sculpture at Las Mercedes. The sculpture depicts a

warrior. Photos: Alonso Tenorio, La Nacin, Costa Rica.


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Figure 9. Students of archeology Ben Connally (right) and Liam Murphy, State University of New

York at Albany, worked with a team from theMuseo Nacionalin Las Mercedes excavation site,

Gucimo, Limn, covering 25 hectares of EARTH University. Photo: Alonso Tenorio, La Nacin.

Costa Rica

Example of a stone retaining wall and pavement surrounding a platform at Las Mercedes. View of

the site core, 2005 season, with linear stone walls flanking the entry point of a paved road, as well

as a plaza and remnants of a large central mound. So far, 15 of these montculos (mounds) that

functioned as platforms for buildings have been found (Figure 10).


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a

b

c

Figure 10. Views of LasMercedes Mercedes Archaelogical Site, Costa Rica. Photos: R. Vsquez,

2009.

Woody species composition of Secondary forest in Las Mercedes Mercedes Archaelogical Site

Regularly, I went with my students of tropical silviculture to the site, where we inventoried plant

species in the secondary forest surrounding the site. On several occasions we encountered theresearch group led by the archaelogist Ricardo Vzquez, from the National Museum and students

from the University of Montreal or SUNY, Albany. The interaction of EARTH students with visiting

students has always been a learning opportunity, rich in exchange of experiences and information.

As a result of the activity we obtained information on the floristic composition of the 17 year-old

secondary forest (in 2009) surrounding the site. As a result, 37 tree species with a diameter at


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breast height higher than 5 centimeters (DBH > 5 cm), belonging to 32 genera and 21 families,

were censed and data were analysed (Tables 1 and 2).

Table 1. Frecuency table (%) of tree species found in the 17 year-old secondary forest surrounding

Las Mercedes Archaeological Site.

Table 2. Richness (number of species per plot), number of trees per plot , Shannon & Simpson

diversity indices in the ten plots. The value of H 'of Shannon generally ranges between 1.5 and 3.5,

rarely is higher than 4.5 (Magurran, 1988).

Plot # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Richness(S) 10 20 17 17 18 10 7 13 13 12

Trees/plot 22 30 24 23 29 20 17 20 25 25

Trees/spp. 2.2 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.6 2.0 2.4 1.5 2.1 4.2

Shannon-

Wiener (H')2.39 2.58 2.83 2.94 3.01 3.06 3.09 3.11 3.13 3.15

Simpson (l) 15.1 15.0 16.6 17.2 15.1 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.7

Fisher (a) 13.9 13.9 14.2 14.4 14.1 14.1 13.9 13.7 13.5 13.5

Cecropia obtusifolia 23,14 Trophis racemosa 1,65

Hampea appendiculata 19,01 Cedrela odorata 1,65

Cordia alliodora 5,79 Vernonia patens 1,65

Cestrum racemosum 4,96 Beilschmiedia sp. 1,65

Luehea seemannii 4,13Anacardium excelsum 0,83

Ochroma pyramidale 4,13 Piper aduncum 0,83

Senna hayesiana 3,31 Virola sebifera 0,83

Bursera simarouba 3,31 Nectandra sinuata 0,83

Carapa guianensis 2,48 Inga sp 0,83

Alchornea costaricensis 2,48 Hyeronima alchorneoides 0,83

Chloroleucon mangense 2,48 Ficus colubrinae 0,83

Ficus werck leana 2,48 Erythrina costaricensis 0,83

Inga oerstediana 2,48 Cupania cinerea 0,83

Guatteria diospyroides 2,48 Ceiba pentandra 0,83

Inga edulis 1,65Adelia triloba 0,83


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Bibliography

National Museum of Costa Rica (2009)."Past Research: Central Caribbean Project & Las Mercedes

Project". National Museum of Costa Rica.http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-

n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64.

Russo, R. s/f. Caracterizacin estructural y florstica de un bosque secundario enriquecido de 17

aos en la Regin Tropical Hmeda de Costa Rica. Universidad EARTH. Las Mercedes,. 12 p.

(Internal Document unpublished)

Segura, Wendy (2009),Las Mercedes, un monumento escondido,

http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/es_cr/a-fondo/las-mercedes.html?Itemid=64.

Vzquez Leiva, Ricardo; and Claude Chapdelaine (2008). "Arquitectura, Caminos Empedrados y

Cronologa del Sector Principal del Sitio Las Mercedes-1, Caribe Central de Costa Rica".

Vnculos (San Jos, Costa Rica: Departamento de Antropologa e Historia, Museo Nacional de Costa

Rica) 31: 2777.

Vzquez Leiva, Ricardo. (2009). El otro gran cacicazgo del Caribe central: segunda temporada de

campo en el sitio Las Mercedes-1, Gucimo de Limn. Charla y presentacin, 14 y 15 de octubre

2009. Museo Nacional de Costa Rica. 11 p.

Acknowledgements

First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Fausto Sarmiento for inviting me to participate in this Mini-

Conference on Indigenous Revival and Sacred Sites Conservation to share my teaching

experiences with this presentation. I also would like to acknowledge Archaeologist Ricardo

Vzquez, from the National Museum, and his co-workers, for their research work, dedication and

contribution to Las Mercedes project in EARTH University Campus. In addition, I would like to

thank Archaelogist Dennis Blanton (UGA graduate) for reviewing and giving me suggestions to

improve this presentation.
http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/es_cr/a-fondo/las-mercedes.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/es_cr/a-fondo/las-mercedes.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/es_cr/a-fondo/las-mercedes.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/es_cr/a-fondo/las-mercedes.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/es_cr/a-fondo/las-mercedes.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/es_cr/a-fondo/las-mercedes.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/es_cr/a-fondo/las-mercedes.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64http://www.museocostarica.go.cr/en_en/investigaci-n/proyectos-concluidos-5.html?Itemid=64

a ceremonial center within a university campus

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