Guayabo National Monument

Guayabo National Monument is an archaeological site on the southern slope of Turrialba Volcano in Turrialba Canton, Costa Rica. The area includes excavated stone foundations, water channels, paved pathways, burial sites, and rock carvings spread between forest and open clearings.

The first inhabitants settled here around a thousand years before the common era and developed a complex settlement system over centuries. The community reached its greatest extent around the year eight hundred of the common era before people left the place in the fifteenth century.

The site takes its name from the guayabo tree and still shows the round stone platforms where wooden houses with palm-thatch roofs once stood. Visitors can walk along the old paved paths and see water flowing through carved channels and canals that have crossed the grounds for centuries.

The monument sits on Turrialba Volcano and opens daily until mid-afternoon, with different entry costs for locals and international guests. Sturdy shoes are recommended for the trails since the terrain is uneven and some sections pass through wooded areas.

An engineering society from the United States honored the site for its pre-Columbian infrastructure achievements and granted it an international title. The recognition highlights the advanced building techniques applied here centuries before Europeans arrived.

Location: Turrialba Canton

Location: Cartago Province

Elevation above the sea: 811 m

Website: https://sinac.go.cr/ES/ac/accvc/mng/Paginas/default.aspx

GPS coordinates: 9.97244,-83.69140

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:31