Las Mercedes Archaeological Site

Las Mercedes is a complex archaeological site located on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica between the foothills of Turrialba Volcano and the alluvial plain [1]. The site contains a variety of architectural features including platforms, plazas, retaining walls or terraces, funerary areas, ramps, and paved roads [1]. With a size of 25 hectares, Las Mercedes is divided into 3 large complexes: Las Mercedes-1, Las Mercedes-2, and Las Mercedes-3 [1]. Las Mercedes has at least 15 platforms [1]. The first cemeteries were excavated by C. V. Hartman in 1896 and subsequently by Alanson Skinner during the winter of 1916-1917 [1]. The site is associated with the Huetar people, a Chibchan-speaking people [1]. After analyzing the artifacts uncovered during the 2009 field school archaeologists are relatively certain that Las Mercedes served as a powerful political center for the region—probably the center of a chiefdom [1]. Las Mercedes was first discovered in 1871 during the construction of the railroad to the Caribbean Sea from the Costa Rican Central Valley [1].