Even though the existing evidence shows that the American continent was inhabited approximately in 40,000 B.C., the presence of natives in Costa Rica is not dated until much later, at around 12000 B.C. Initially, early man in Costa Rica was a hunter and a gatherer; at around the period between 8000 and 4000 years B.C. some nomadic groups started to get settled in the area and began agricultural practices.
Being located in a strategic position, in a land mass that served as a bridge between North and South America, Costa Rica was influenced by different crops, customs and products. Agricultural practices in the Atlantic area were subject to the South American influence (tuber raising was a major activity) while the areas to the Northwest (subject to Mesoamerican influence) were more dedicated to the planting of grains.
The improvement of agricultural practices meant the decrease of nomadic tendencies, which caused advancement in cultural and social development. The figure of the cacique dominated the political hierarchy, and each tribe was lead by one of such figures. Such tribes had a good level of participation in trade, with the Atlantic and Southern tribes trading with Panama and the South American countries, while in Guanacaste, trade occurred with other Central American and Mexican Cultures. Some of the common traded objects included: salt, cacao, quetzal wings and natural dyes.
By the time Columbus first arrive in 1502, what is now Costa Rica was inhabited by approximately 40.000 native people, divided in two basic areas of cultural influence: a)- the groups under Mesoamerican (Mayas and Aztecs) influence and b)- the groups under South American influence. Being a junction for both cultural influences, a lot of transit and trade happened causing a big variety in cultural contents.
Despite the cultural diversity in these lands, the region wasn’t as advanced as the civilizations of South America or those of Mexico and Guatemala. Small infrastructural development was actually a characteristic of the area. The explorers that were to come after Columbus, did not find empires as those of the Aztecs, Mayas or Incas. They only found scattered tribes that were loosely connected or fragmented completely. The region was at a period where it was just beginning to awaken to greater development. Apart from lesser attacks from the natives, tropical diseases and terrain difficulties were the only challenges that the conquistadors met.
The conquest of Costa Rica was in no way similar to the one of the major neighboring areas, therefore not requiring any major planning such as the one required by Pizarro and Cortes in Peru and Mexico.