The indigenous group, though little as they may be, have a very distinct characteristic in each of their own tribes.

Here are some of the Indigenous groups that are found in Costa Rica

CABECARES

They are located on both sides of the Talamanca mountain range toward the Atlantic and the Pacific. This group is one of the most preserved and numerous in the country, with an authentic ethnic identity and with the least altered habitat. The Cabécares are simple, timid and very hospitable Indians, dedicated to agriculture, hunting and fishing activities. They maintain a very complex kinship system of matrilineal clans that they share with the Bribrí. They live in huts with straw roofs and sleep in hammocks. They profess a belief in their god Sibö.

BRIBRIS

Also located on both sides of the Talamanca mountain range, the Bribrí form an immense indigenous group that has dispersed in the big valleys and mountains in the provinces of Limón and Puntarenas. They share the god and power structure of the Cabécares. Many scholars have considered the Bribrís and Cabécares to be one single ethnic group. The Bribrís are generally bilingual; they speak perfect Spanish and Bribrí. Many Bribrís have taken up the conveniences of our civilization, however others still live in the mountains in Indian ranches with conical structures.

BRUNCAS OR BORUCAS

They are located in Buenos Aires of Puntarenas on two reserves: Boruca and Curré. In spite of the fact that their lands were radically diminished by Spanish colonizers, the Borucas, different from the majority of the other groups, were never removed from their original lands. The Borucas were hardened and courageous Indians. They attacked the Spanish on the roads wearing masks made of balsa wood. Their native language, Brunca, is known today only by elders and is being inexorably lost due to the fact that long ago Catholic missionaries prohibited them, under severe punishment, to communicate in their own language.

GUAYMIES

They are located in the south Pacific of the national territory in the border zone of Costa Rica-Panama. The Guaymí population in our country comes from the mountainous zones in the northern part of Panama. They speak Guaymí and very little Spanish. Religious missionaries such as the Catholic, Bahai, Jehovah’s Witness, Evangelists, etc. have contaminated the Guaymí’s own beliefs to such a point that it is impossible to have them define their religious concepts, except the clinging to their native god NABU and to the harmful spirits.

HUETARES

The Huetares or Pacacuas form a fairly reduced indigenous group. They have shown resistance in spite of being located very near to San José in Quitirrisi of Mora and Zapatón of Puriscal in the hills of the central Pacific. Having been very affected by colonization and traffic moving toward the urban centers, the Huetares still maintain traditions that allow them to conserve their ethnic identity.

GUATUSOS OR MALEKUS

They are a small indigenous group in population and territorial expansion. They are located on the plains in the northern part of the Guatuso canton in the province of Alajuela. They have conserved their cultural expression and speak Maleku. They venerate their god TOKU.

CHOROTEGAS

Their splendour having been wiped out by the conquest, the Chorotegas have been reduced to a small settlement on the Matambú indigenous reserve, located between the cantons of Hojancha and Nicoya in the province of Guanacaste. They are potters descended from an excellent tradition whose ancient art fill the display cases of our museums.

TERIBES

Immigrants from Panamanian lands, they are located close to the southern border in Yorkin and Sixaola. The Teribes live in mountainous places with difficult access. They have conserved their language and engage in hunting and fishing. Etnographic studies incorporate these indigenous people into the Talamancan groups.