The Guayabo National Monument, the archaeological site located in Cartago, close to the city of Turrialba, has a new 323-meter-long trail named Caragra which has three observation points.

Funds collected in the campaign Historical Trails made this possible, the campaign was an initiative of the Association ProParques and Teletica (Channel 7), it also benefited the Santa Rosa National Park which inaugurated its new trail last year. The total investment was of 54 million colones.

Because this is an archaeological site, the requirements for the construction were complicated as not to cause any damages in the park, for instance, the foundation could not be more than 10 centimeters deep and the materials had to be removable.

The new trail will allow a better visibility of the area, which has historic importance. This trail includes a bridge over the Caragra stone causeway, which was the point of entry to the Pre-Columbian city which extends for 171 meters. This bridge provides access to an area which was previously inaccessible to visitors, it also allows a better view of the restorations that have been done, which include the Plaza Mayor and the eight-shaped mounds.

The building of the bridge was the most difficult part of this project since it had to be done in the least invasive way possible but at the same time it had to be safe for the visitors, in order to accomplish this they used laminated wood instead of concrete.

The Guayabo National Monument is the oldest and most important Pre-Columbian archeological site in Costa Rica, although it is small, the place is full of mystery, the infrastructure found in the area is incredible considering the age it stems from, it is estimated that it was inhabited 2,400 years ago. The area surrounding the park is also of great beauty.