Felipe Sol: PhD Candidate, University of Pittsburgh "Religious Organization and Political Structure in Pre-Hispanic Southern Costa Rica."

Public Dissertation Presentation

Felipe Sol: PhD Candidate, University of Pittsburgh

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION AND POLITICAL STRUCTURE IN PRE-HISPANIC SOUTHERN COSTA RICA

An evaluation of the role of religion in supra-local polity formation in the Upper Térraba Basin of southern Costa Rica. Small polities emerged after an initial demographic explosion at 300 B.C., in a context of limited wealth accumulation and inter-polity raiding. Much later, the emergence of a larger and more powerful central community seems strongly related to changes in economics, on the one hand, and kinship and social relations, on the other. A regional perspective indicates that religion and ritual were not the main forces attracting populations to nucleated centers, although this has previously been suggested. The Upper Térraba Basin is but one example in which religion, while clearly visible in the archaeological record was not the main driver of regional political consolidation.