SCIENCE 



NEW YOEX, NOVEMBER 3, 1893. 

 COSTA RICA AT THE EXPOSITION. 



BY FEEDEEICK STAKE, DKIVEESITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, ILL. 



The visitor in the Anthropological Building experi- 

 enced a real delight and relief in coming upon the ex- 

 hibit from Costa Rica. The displays in its neighborhood 

 (from Mexico, Brazil and Paraguay) contained much of 

 interest, but were inartistic and lacking in unity. The 

 Costa Rica exhibit was in some ways a model. 



The pavilion itself is quaint and attractive. A space 

 of perhaps fifty feet by thirty is enclosed by a i-ather high 

 board wall. Two doorways, facing each other, are in the 

 middle of the longer sides. These doorways reproduce 

 ancient flat-topped stone arches, decorated at their top 

 corners with coarsely carved heads and squat figures. 

 Large oil paintings hang on the external walls, one on 

 each side of each doorway. They are set in wide gilded 

 frames which are decorated with fret patterns copied 

 from the stone ruins of Central America at iiie sides, 

 while the iqjper border consists of enlargements copied 

 from the grotesque bird and other figurines of gold 

 which are found in the ancient graves. The pictures rep- 

 resent: (a) an Indian hut from Talamanca, (b) a view on 

 the Uren River, (c) a chief's summer hut, in the Suerre 

 Valley, dating back to 1544, (d) an Indian hut in San 

 Bernardo, Sipurio, Uren Valley. 



Entering the pavilion the visitor finds at the middle of 

 the narrower sides gilded medalions, one of Vasquez de 

 Corouado, the other of Isabel la Catolica. Each is the cen- 

 tre of a trojihy composed of spears, bows, drums, nettings 

 and fabrics of the modern Indians of Costa Rica. Up- 

 right frames, copper bronzed, with ornamentation de- 

 rived from the old figurines contain full length and 

 about life-size paintings of (a) a Talamanca Indian, with 

 necklace of teeth, red ribbon hair-band, staff and breech- 

 clout; (b) a Talamanca Indian woman with a little boy 

 standing by her: the child is naked, while the woman 

 wears a narrow red ribbon in her hair, a necklace of 

 narrow strands, and a skirt cloth about her waist; (c) In- 

 dian of Guatuso, seated on a stone with hands on knees 

 and wearing a breech-clout; (d) an Indian woman of 

 Guatuso with waist cloth and cap. On the broader walls 

 are also pictures, in horizontal frames, green bronzed and 

 with ornamental patterns of frets and figurines. These 

 pictures are in pairs, are on each side of each doorway 

 and represent old Guetar graves, walled up with either 

 rough rounded stones or narrow slabs. The details of 

 construction are shown and the methods of archfeolog- 

 ical exploration. All of these oil paintings are by one 

 artist — S. Llorente. The pavilion containing foi:r hand- 

 some upright cases of oak, with plate glass doors, con- 

 structed for display on ail four sides, and with a crimson 

 or maroon background. In these and in flat cases about 

 the sides of the pavilion is a choice series of archaeological 

 specimens. Objects too large for the cases are arranged 

 on individual supports in various parts of the room. 



The ancient art of Costa Rica is very near, if not iden- 

 tical, to that of Chiriqui, so well described by Mr. 

 Holmes. In the series here shown there are many 

 metales or stones on which corn is ground. Some of these 

 appear to be quite recent and are no doubt used by the 

 present Indians. They are made from a grayish, jJor- 

 ous, volcanic rock, and usually jiresent a rounded cor- 

 nered, slightly basined, squarish uiajjer surface, on which 

 the grinding is done, supported by queer animal carv- 



ings. Stools of similar material are numerous. These pre- 

 sent, fairly flat wind tops, supported by a carved openwork 

 base, in geometrical patterns or representing animals; 

 sometimes a band about the upper edge is carved with a 

 line of faces or grotesque heads. Very common are 

 human heads, carved in the volcanic material, displaying 

 considerable variety in feature, and some with tattooed 

 patterns on the cheeks, or with headdresses. Less com- 

 mon, apparently, are the heads of mammalia, some of 

 them admirably done. Full length human figures, about 

 a foot in length, representing both sexes, the sexual or- 

 gans being, at times, strongly marked, are not uncom- 

 mon. These are commonly in the same position, the 

 hands stiffly clasped upon the waist, the arms to the 

 elbows closely against the sides. Yet more numerous 

 are the quaint little figures, some six to ten inches 

 high, squatting, with knees drawn up in front and the 

 elbows resting on these. In some cases both hands are 

 held to the chin or mouth; in others one hand is at the 

 mouth and the other is on the knee. In almost, if not 

 quite, all of these the head is exaggeratedly long and fre- 

 quently bears a headdress or curious hair arrangement. 

 Many hold a somewhat long cylindrical or barrel-shaped 

 object to the mouth, with one or both hands. This ob- 

 ject resembles somewhat an ear of corn, but the Costa 

 Rica archaeologists, I believe, cbnsider it a cigar. In the 

 flat cases is a large series of celts, or polished stone 

 blades, mostly of the usual Antillean or Central Amer- 

 ican type. Many more special forms of stone objects 

 might be mentioned, but we must pass to the fine series 

 of j)ottery. 



Here there are vases and jars of many forms in colors, 

 commonly red or brown. Some are painted, others deco- 

 rated with grotesque animal or human devices in relief; 

 others quite plain. Many of the jars are tripod supported, 

 and the legs are frequently hollow and with a little rat- 

 tling ball of clay inside. Terra cotta whistles are plenti- 

 ful — some simple, some in bird forms, some human figur- 

 ines. Among these last are a few elaborate female 

 figures, several inches high, with a considerable number 

 of apertures to give a range of notes. Some plain ones 

 are distinctly ocarinas. Rare, api^areutly, are the terra 

 cotta rattles, cojjied after gourd rattles, and body and 

 handle made in one piece. Very numerous are the' little, 

 flat, round, spoon-shai^ed censers, with handles wonder- 

 fully varied in ornamentation. Scores of pottery rings, 

 like napkin rings, contracted usually about a middle zone, 

 are plain, incised, or decorated with reliefs. In all the 

 pottery, and of course we have not mentioned all the vari- 

 ety, there is similarity or identity with the Chiriqui work 

 described by Mr. Holmes. 



We find the same identity in the gold figurines, a fair 

 series of which are displayed in two little wall frames. 

 There are quaint and grotesque figures of birds, beasts, 

 frogs and nondescripts. With these are a few of the lit- 

 tle bronze bells (something like sleigh bells) and some 

 thin, rather broad disks of gold, three of them with de- 

 signs worked out upon them. 



It must be plain to the readers that the little republic 

 has done herself credit. The exhibit was at Madrid last 

 year, and there an excellent catalog in Spanish was print- 

 ed. The collection is displayed by the 3Iuseo Nacional de 

 Costa Rica. Space does not jjermit tracing the history of 

 this young institution, but we must say that the credit of 

 the present exposition on its behalf is in large part due 

 to three gentlemen: J. Arellano, M. M. de Peralta and A. 

 Alfaro. 



