Editing History of Costa Rica (section)

== Hunter-gatherers ==
The oldest evidence of human occupation in [[Costa Rica]] is associated with the arrival of groups of hunter-gatherers about 10,000 to 19,000 years [[Anno Domini|BC]], with ancient archaeological evidence ([[lithic technology|stone tool making]]) located in the [[Turrialba, Costa Rica|Turrialba Valley]], at sites called Guardiria and Florence, with matching quarry and workshop areas with presence of type [[Clovis culture|clovis spearheads]] and South American inspired [[arrow]]s. All this suggests the possibility that in this area two different cultures coexisted.

The people of this era were nomadic. They were organized in family-based bands of about 20 to 30 members. Their diet consisted of [[megafauna]], such as giant [[armadillo]]s and [[sloth]]s, [[mastodons]], etc. These became extinct about 8,000 years before the modern era. The first settlers had to adapt to hunting smaller animals and develop appropriate strategies to adjust to the new conditions.