by Rod Hughes

Archaeologists are urging immediate action to save Guayabo National Monument, the pre-Columbian archaeological site most emblematic of Costa Rica’s pre-colonial era.

Peruvian experts, well qualified because of their work preserving the beautiful Inca sites in their home country, were called in because of severe erosion damage of the stonework. They recommend a million dollar investment if the site is not to be immediately ruined.

Not only drainage is needed. One of the site’s worst enemies is the industrious ant. The tropics boast of industrial-strength ant colonies fully capable of undermining stone walls that have stood for centuries. Even armadillos, those cute but not-too-cuddly forest critters, dig under the stones in search of grubs ro eat, further disrupting the walls.The Peruvians say stonework is in imminent danger of collapse and recommend declaring a national emergency.

Minister of Culture Maria Elena Carballo is more measured about the situation, calling for the pooling of forces by such institutions as the National Museum, the National University at Heredia, University of Costa Rica and the Ministry of Environment and Energy. But she agrees that it will have to be soon if the site is to be saved.

Another reform the experts recommend is putting the site under the protection of an archaeologist, not a park guard as is currently the case. Finally, a call was issued to establish a museum at the site where indigenous pieces of pottery and other artifacts may be displayed in their natural setting.