4 MEMOIRS OF THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM 
One ship, however, was sent further, and reached the entrance of the Gulf of San 
Luear or Nicoya. Later on Espinosa sent out Captain Hernan Ponce de Leon with 
two ships and a crew of forty men, and they, following the coast, entered the same 
bay, which they described as being more than twenty leagues in length, filled with 
islands and forming a fine, well protected port, leading to the rich and beautiful 
province of Nicoya. In the gulf the Spanish ships were surrounded by a large 
number of canoes filled with armed men and on the shores were seen numbers 
blowing trumpets and horns and making threats and hostile signs, but after a few 
gunshots had been fired they all disappeared, not one being seen either on sea or 
land. As Hernan Ponce concluded that he could accomplish nothing further of 
advantage at that time, he returned to Panama. 
In 1522 Gil Gonzfles de Avila traversed all the territory of Costa Rica from 
ocean to ocean and then visited the island of Chira in the Gulf of Nicoya. 
The following year Francisco Fernandes de Cordova, the conqueror of Nicara- 
gua, founded the city of Bruselas near the Gulf of Nicoya, this being the first col- 
ony established in Costa Rica. As was customary at that time, the Indians of the 
surrounding provinces, Nicoya, Chira, and Gtetares, were distributed among the 
residents of the colony. 
In 1527 Pedrarias Davila was nominated Governor of the province of Nicara- 
gua without any definite limits to his territory, but in fact he had under his com- 
mand all the Indians of Nicoya, Chira, and other districts of the Gulf. 
In 1529 the historian, Gonzalo Fernandes de Oviedo y Valdés, visited the pueblo 
and Gulf of Nicoya. From his pen we have the most complete and satisfactory 
early description of the manners and customs of the Indians of Nicoya and those of 
the islands of the Gulf. Only the principal details can here be given. 
The men were either naked or wore a breech-cloth made of a belt of cotton: 
The women also used belted breech-cloths and besides, in some parts, sleeveless cot- 
ton shirts. The belts were adorned with designs in many colors. The men wore 
their hair either in one braid hanging down the back, or tied together in a knot 
standing straight up from the crown. The women also wore the hair in the latter 
way, but more usually parted in the middle, and laid up in a large knot above 
each ear. As ornaments these Indians used necklaces of beads made of ‘ pie de 
burro” (Carica sp.) and other sea-shells. They also used labrets of bone, or ham- 
mered gold. These labrets could be removed when they took their meals. Their 
arms were decorated with tattooings principally representing the jaguar. ‘They 
were fine archers, used spears and clubs, and in time of war trumpets and horns. The 
walls of the houses were of poles, and the roofs were thatched with palm-leaves. 
