Cobble Stones and Standing Stones: Archaeology at the Rivas Site, Costa Rica (review)

This book not only provides to the reader detailed information about an archaeological site in Costa Rica but also contains a highly didactic and very frank account of the logistics and methodological implications involved in the entire process of doing archaeological research, especially in the tropics. As the title indicates, one will find here a detailed account of the partial excavation of a pre-Columbian village (900-1300 A.D.) and associated cemeteries located in southwestern Costa Rica.

Quilter's well-organized and finely-executed research at Rivas provided an important and highly useful amount of information on the cultural history, architectural composition and distribution, and social organization of the people who once lived in this region of Costa Rica during pre-Columbian times. Until very recently, long-term archaeological research in the Chiriquí archaeological region had been practically nonexistent. Quilter's excavation at Rivas therefore represents a pioneer and highly necessary effort for obtaining a better understanding of the social composition of villages in this region of Central America. Certainly, one could agree or disagree with his emphasis, decisions, or interpretations of the data he collected, but the scope of this data and inclusion in the text is laudable.

Quilter's results alone justify the merits of this book, yet its relevance goes beyond the data by providing a didactic account of what it really takes to do archaeological research. Quilter tell us about preliminary—but not less important—stages of research: becoming interested in the region, looking for funding, learning about the archaeology of Costa Rica, the proceedings both in and outside of the field, and "real-time" decision-making and interpretations. This particular feature makes the book an excellent introduction to the realistic challenges that archaeologists face in conducting fieldwork. Additionally, because the book is told in the first person, the discussion proceeds chronologically and is full of amusing anecdotes and interesting facts about the archaeology of the region. It is hard to put this work down once you start reading it.