Cult Traits in Southeastern Costa Rica and Their Significance

AbstractThe finding of ceremonial bone and shell objects at Puntarenas Farm, Jalaca, southeastern Costa Rica, along with ceramics of known Chiriqui or Red and Black ware, has thrown new light upon the extent of pre-Columbian trade and the penetration of cult traits from northern South America into lower Central America. Although no radiocarbon date has been obtained as yet, it is known that the manufacture of Chiriqui or Red and Black ware was continued into post-Columbian times.The presence in this region of shells found only on the Caribbean coast of Central America and not on the Pacific, as well as artifacts of manatee (Trichechus m. manatus Linn.) bone, also associated solely with the Caribbean littoral, indicate the extent and importance of trade. In the same sense, the appearance of the alligator-serpent motif on both coasts of the Nicoya Peninsula and on the western coast with ware related to Ulua Polychrome types and with an Ulua style alabaster vase, places a new northern boundary with respect to the diffusion of this cult motif. The Ulua Polychrome types and the Ulua style alabaster vase put a time horizon covering from A.D. 1000 probably to the Spanish arrival. The alligator-serpent concept, so familiar in the Amazon and Andean regions, the “eagle” or “condor” concept, the feline, the monkey, and the frog all emphasize the common base of lower Central American religion. Likewise they point to San Agustin as a cultural center of great importance in lower Central America.From the artistic point of view, the bone objects represent some of the most intricate carving yet known in eastern Central America. Both the style and subject matter place these figures in a different category from bone artifacts associated with Mesoamerican cultures.

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Identification of Tropical Cyclones’ Critical Positions Associated with Extreme Precipitation Events in Central America

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-6316 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hugo G. Hidalgo ◽

Eric J. Alfaro ◽

Franklin Hernández-Castro ◽

Paula M. Pérez-Briceño

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

Tropical Cyclones ◽

Critical Path ◽

Central American ◽

Pacific Basin ◽

Extreme Precipitation Events ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Indirect Impacts ◽

Precipitation Events

<p>Tropical cyclones are one of the most important causes of disasters in Central America. Using historical (1970&#8211;2010) tracks of cyclones in the Caribbean and Pacific basin, we identify critical path locations where these low-pressure systems cause the highest number of floods in a set of 88 precipitation stations in the region. Results show that tropical cyclones from the Caribbean and Pacific basin produce a large number of indirect impacts on the Pacific slope of the Central American isthmus. Although the direct impact of a tropical cyclone usually results in devastation in the affected region, the indirect effects are more common and sometimes equally severe. In fact, the storm does not need to be an intense hurricane to cause considerable impacts and damage. The location of even a lower intensity storm in critical positions of the oceanic basin can result in destructive indirect impacts in Central America. The identification of critical positions can be used for emergency agencies in the region to issue alerts of possible flooding and catastrophic events.</p>

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Seismic anisotropy in southern Costa Rica confirms upper mantle flow from the Pacific to the Caribbean

Geology ◽

10.1130/g47826.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 8-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vadim Levin ◽

Stephen Elkington ◽

James Bourke ◽

Ivonne Arroyo ◽

Lepolt Linkimer

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Upper Mantle ◽

Seismic Anisotropy ◽

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Central American ◽

Mantle Flow ◽

Dynamic Topography ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Surrounding Areas

Abstract Surrounded by subducting slabs and continental keels, the upper mantle of the Pacific is largely prevented from mixing with surrounding areas. One possible outlet is beneath the southern part of the Central American isthmus, where regional observations of seismic anisotropy, temporal changes in isotopic composition of volcanic eruptions, and considerations of dynamic topography all suggest upper mantle flow from the Pacific to the Caribbean. We derive new constraints on the nature of seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle of southern Costa Rica from observations of birefringence in teleseismic shear waves. Fast and slow components separate by ∼1 s, with faster waves polarized along the 40°–50° (northeast) direction, near-orthogonally to the Central American convergent margin. Our results are consistent with upper mantle flow from the Pacific to the Caribbean and require an opening in the lithosphere subducting under the region.

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Identification of Tropical Cyclones’ Critical Positions Associated with Extreme Precipitation Events in Central America

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11101123 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1123

Author(s):

Hugo G. Hidalgo ◽

Eric J. Alfaro ◽

Franklin HernÃandez-Castro ◽

Paula M. Pérez-Briceño

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

Tropical Cyclones ◽

Critical Path ◽

Central American ◽

Pacific Basin ◽

Extreme Precipitation Events ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Indirect Impacts ◽

Precipitation Events

Tropical cyclones are one of the most important causes of disasters in Central America. Using historical (1970–2010) tracks of cyclones in the Caribbean and Pacific basin, we identify critical path locations where these low-pressure systems cause the highest number of floods in a set of 88 precipitation stations in the region. Results show that tropical cyclones from the Caribbean and Pacific basin produce a large number of indirect impacts on the Pacific slope of the Central American isthmus. Although the direct impact of a tropical cyclone usually results in devastation in the affected region, the indirect effects are more common and sometimes equally severe. In fact, the storm does not need to be an intense hurricane to cause considerable impacts and damage. The location of even a lower intensity storm in critical positions of the oceanic basin can result in destructive indirect impacts in Central America. The identification of critical positions can be used for emergency agencies in the region to issue alerts of possible flooding and catastrophic events.

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Multiphasic Analysis of Xanthomonads Causing Bacterial Spot Disease on Tomato and Pepper in the Caribbean and Central America: Evidence for Common Lineages Within and Between Countries

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto.1999.89.4.328 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 89 (4) ◽

pp. 328-335 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

H. Bouzar ◽

J. B. Jones ◽

R. E. Stall ◽

F. J. Louws ◽

M. Schneider ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Central America ◽

Xanthomonas Campestris ◽

Central American ◽

Genomic Fingerprinting ◽

Central United States ◽

Bacterial Spot Disease ◽

Group A ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Group B

Four hundred thirty-three xanthomonad strains isolated from tomato or pepper plants from 32 different fields in four Caribbean and Central American countries were screened for the ability to hydrolyze starch and sodium polypectate and for resistance to copper and streptomycin. Of these, 95 representative strains were further characterized by various phnetic tests, and 63 of these strains were then analyzed by genomic fingerprinting. Most of the strains (>90%) were tolerant to copper. However, there was much more variability in sensitivity to streptomycin. All strains in Guadeloupe and 93% of the strains in Barbados were sensitive to streptomycin. The majority of strains were typical Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria group A strains. In Barbados, however, a unique group of strains was identified that was serologically similar to group A strains but was amylolytic. These strains were designated A1. The occurrence of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria group B strains in Central America was found to be limited to two fields in Costa Rica and one in Guatemala. No group B strains were identified in the Caribbean, in contrast to common occurrence in the central United States and in South America. T3 strains were not found in this study, despite the recent increase of such strains in Florida and Mexico. Unique strains from Costa Rica belonging to the X. gardneri group were identified. Little linkage was found among phenotypic and rep-polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) genomic fingerprinting profiles of the pathogens except at the species/pathovar level; strains displaying virtually identical fingerprint profiles were found to correspond to distinct races and vice versa. The rep-PCR genomic fingerprinting analyses suggest that certain lineages may have evolved or predominated in specific regions or specific countries.

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A revision of the Central American species related to Anolis pentaprion with the resurrection of A. beckeri and the description of a new species (Squamata: Polychrotidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2354.1.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2354 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

GUNTHER KÖHLER

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Costa Rica ◽

Central America ◽

Central American ◽

Purple Pigment ◽

The Pacific ◽

Central American Species ◽

A New Species

Based on differences in coloration, morphometrics, and scalation, I recognize seven species of anoles related to Anolis pentaprion in Central America: Anolis beckeri (southeastern Mexico to northern Nicaragua), A. cristifer (Pacific lowlands of Chiapas to central Guatemala), A. fungosus (Caribbean premontane zone from central Costa Rica to western Panama), A. pentaprion (Caribbean lowlands of southern Nicaragua to northwestern Colombia, also on Pacific versant in central and eastern Panama), A. salvini (Pacific premontane and lower montane zones from central Costa Rica to western Panama), A. utilensis (restricted to Isla de Utila, Honduras), and a new species (from the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica and western Panama) described herein. The new species differs from A. pentaprion by having a red male dewlap with few large, widely spaced gorgetal scales scattered across the dewlap (pink with purple pigment between rows of gorgetals, and with regular rows of numerous small, narrowly spaced gorgetal scales in A. pentaprion). Furthermore, I resurrect the name A. beckeri Boulenger for the pentaprion-like populations of anoles distributed from southeastern Mexico to northern Nicaragua. Anolis beckeri differs from A. pentaprion most obviously in the dorsal tail scalation (a serrated caudal crest present in A. pentaprion versus no such crest in A. beckeri) and dewlap scalation (gorgetal rows with 17–25 narrowly spaced scales in A. pentaprion versus gorgetal rows with 4–10 widely spaced scales in A. beckeri). Finally, SMF 83608 is proposed as the neotype for Anolis pentaprion. I provide standardized descriptions of A. beckeri, A. pentaprion, and the new species described herein.

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Distributional extension for a dry forest species, Mesoscincus managuae (Dunn, 1933) (Squamata, Scincidae), on the Subhumid Caribbean versant of Honduras

Check List ◽

10.15560/15.2.269 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 269-273

Author(s):

Mario Roberto Espinal ◽

José Manuel Mora

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Central America ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Forest Species ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Caribbean

Mesoscincus managuae (Dunn, 1933) (Squamata, Scincidae) is a typical dry-forest species found along the Pacific versant of Central America from Guatemala to northwestern Costa Rica. Here, we report the occurrence of this species on the Caribbean versant of Honduras, specifically on the Sula Plain, Deparment of Cortés. This is a subhumid habitat similar to others in the Mesoamerican region which have comparable herpetofauna assemblages and where M. managuae has already been recorded.

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A WORLD-SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE ON THE ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOHISTORY OF THE MESOAMERICAN/LOWER CENTRAL AMERICAN BORDER

Ancient Mesoamerica ◽

10.1017/s095653610606007x ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 219-229 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Robert M. Carmack ◽

Silvia Salgado González

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Central America ◽

Buenos Aires ◽

World System ◽

Central American ◽

Postclassic Period ◽

Native Peoples ◽

The Pacific ◽

Other World ◽

Contrast Information

The authors challenge the argument by other world-system scholars that Lower Central America fell outside the Mesoamerican world-system during the late Postclassic period. Drawing on ethnohistoric and archaeological information, it is argued that native peoples along the Pacific Coast of Central America from El Salvador to the Nicoya Peninsula (Costa Rica) are best understood as part of the Mesoamerican periphery. The Central American peoples south of Nicoya formed both a chiefly world-system of their own and part of the Mesoamerican frontier by engaging in networks of trade and preciosity exchanges with the coastal Mesoamericans in Nicoya and Nicaragua. Support for this argument is based primarily on two “microhistoric” case studies of peoples located on both sides of the Mesoamerican/Lower Central America border, specifically the Chorotegans of the Masaya/Granada area of Nicaragua and the Chibchans of the Diquis/Buenos Aires area of Costa Rica. Archaeological information on sites in both areas and documentation from Spanish colonial sources that refer to native peoples in these areas strongly indicate that the Masaya/Granada peoples were active participants in the Mesoamerican regional network. In contrast, information from the Diquis/Buenos Aires area for this period reveals only weak Mesoamerican ties but strong relations with a Chibchan intersocietal network of chiefdoms.

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Sir Lionel Carden's Proposed Agreement on Central America, 1912

The Americas A Quarterly Review of Latin American History ◽

10.2307/978815 ◽

1959 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 291-295

Author(s):

Walter V. Scholes

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Central America ◽

Point Of View ◽

Central American ◽

Economic Interests ◽

Department Of State ◽

Secretary Of State ◽

Early Twentieth Century ◽

Foreign Office

As American economic interests expanded in Central America in the early twentieth century, many British representatives concluded that the Foreign Office would have to devise some method to protect existing British investments against American encroachment. When Secretary of State Knox visited Central America in 1912, he and Sir Lionel E. G. Carden, the British Minister to Central America, discussed Central American affairs when they met in Guatemala on March 16. Knox could scarcely have been very sympathetic as Carden expounded the British point of view, for the Department of State believed that the greatest obstacle to the success of its policy in Central America was none other than the British Minister. As early as April, 1910, Knox had unsuccessfully tried to have Carden transferred from his post; the attempt failed because Sir Edward Grey backed up his Minister.

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