> Here is a BBC article from 2003 on the ancient Nicaraguan people who
> built those statues you spoke of,

> Mike Ruggeri

> Ancient Nicaraguan society found
> By Richard Black
> BBC science correspondent

> Archaeologists have discovered what they describe as a previously
> unknown ancient civilisation in Central America.

> A picture has emerged after several years' research
> The site, near the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, dates from before the
> Mayan era, and relics include what appears to be a centre for mass
> production of ceremonial columns.

> Researchers have been working on the site at El Cascal de Flor de
> Pino, near the town of Kukra Hill for six years.

> They've found evidence of an ancient town and several outlying
> villages, which developed around 2,700 years ago and lasted for a
> thousand years.

> There are monuments, petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pottery, and most
> remarkably, an area where many huge columns were formed out of rock -
> columns which may have been used at burial sites.

> Extends range

> Petroglyphs are abundant
> "The pottery is similar to pre-classical pottery found at sites of
> similar age in Belize," Dr Ermengol Gassiot, of the Universitat
> Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, told BBC News Online.

> "And the columns resemble those found at Mexican sites where they had
> ritual uses.

> "The society had political centres. Kukra Hill, we believe, was a
> small town, and at least three villages lay around it and were
> dependent on it."

> The newly discovered civilisation is similar to the societies that
> preceded the Mayan civilisation further to the north.

> A centre for mass production of ceremonial columns
> Independent experts say this shows that the process that led to the
> founding of the Mayan cities, such as Tikal, Palenque, or Copan (in
> Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras respectively) covered a much larger
> geographical region than archaeologists have supposed up to now.

> Time before

> Much research remains to be done at El Cascal de Flor de Pino but it
> promises to reveal a vast amount about the various societies and
> customs which were eventually assimilated into the great culture of
> the Mayas.

> Commenting on the discovery, Jeremy Sabloff, Williams Director of the
> University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, US,
> said: "This site sounds very exciting and full of potential.

> New information about pre-classical times
> "We're learning lots now about the pre-classical era - the groups
> which came before the Maya - and this discovery greatly extends the
> range of these pre-classical civilisations."

> In addition to researchers from the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona
> (UAB), the Kukra Hill archaeological team includes members from the
> Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Nicaragua (UNAN-Managua), and the
> Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas (CSIC).

> > Kevin,

> > Here is a BBC article from 2003 on the ancient Nicaraguan people who
> > built those statues you spoke of,

> > Mike Ruggeri

> > Ancient Nicaraguan society found
> > By Richard Black
> > BBC science correspondent

> > Archaeologists have discovered what they describe as a previously
> > unknown ancient civilisation in Central America.

> > A picture has emerged after several years' research
> > The site, near the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, dates from before the
> > Mayan era, and relics include what appears to be a centre for mass
> > production of ceremonial columns.

> > Researchers have been working on the site at El Cascal de Flor de
> > Pino, near the town of Kukra Hill for six years.

> > They've found evidence of an ancient town and several outlying
> > villages, which developed around 2,700 years ago and lasted for a
> > thousand years.

> > There are monuments, petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pottery, and most
> > remarkably, an area where many huge columns were formed out of rock -
> > columns which may have been used at burial sites.

> > Extends range

> > Petroglyphs are abundant
> > "The pottery is similar to pre-classical pottery found at sites of
> > similar age in Belize," Dr Ermengol Gassiot, of the Universitat
> > Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, told BBC News Online.

> > "And the columns resemble those found at Mexican sites where they had
> > ritual uses.

> > "The society had political centres. Kukra Hill, we believe, was a
> > small town, and at least three villages lay around it and were
> > dependent on it."

> > The newly discovered civilisation is similar to the societies that
> > preceded the Mayan civilisation further to the north.

> > A centre for mass production of ceremonial columns
> > Independent experts say this shows that the process that led to the
> > founding of the Mayan cities, such as Tikal, Palenque, or Copan (in
> > Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras respectively) covered a much larger
> > geographical region than archaeologists have supposed up to now.

> > Time before

> > Much research remains to be done at El Cascal de Flor de Pino but it
> > promises to reveal a vast amount about the various societies and
> > customs which were eventually assimilated into the great culture of
> > the Mayas.

> > Commenting on the discovery, Jeremy Sabloff, Williams Director of the
> > University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, US,
> > said: "This site sounds very exciting and full of potential.

> > New information about pre-classical times
> > "We're learning lots now about the pre-classical era - the groups
> > which came before the Maya - and this discovery greatly extends the
> > range of these pre-classical civilisations."

> > In addition to researchers from the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona
> > (UAB), the Kukra Hill archaeological team includes members from the
> > Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Nicaragua (UNAN-Managua), and the
> > Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas (CSIC).

> Thank you ,Mike, for this valuable articule!!
>   In addition to those large mysterious stone (or tufa?)statues found
> in the Lake Nicaragua region (were they in the statue&column export
> business?)....
>   I've also been wondering why Costa Rica has the most magnificicnt
> Jade Collection ( and pottery collections of great sophistication and
> variaties of styles ) but seemingly  no major acrhitecture to speak
> of ??? Any thoughts?
>   Was Mayan Civilization much more diversafied and trade friendly
> than
> previovsly thought? Or was there an earlier Meta-Mayan empire that
> allowed for manufacture of artifacts in Costa Rica for "market " in
> the Yacatan.(ie.A united system, or Empire,without the boundries to
> trade implyed by the image of waring City States?)
>   Can the mineral composition of the statues and columns made in
> Nicaragua be traced to sites in other places?
>   Are the columns at Chichen Iza of local stone? Or from elsewhere?
>   Analysis of mineral signatures should trace these patterns.Has it
> been done?
>   I look forward to hearing more from anyone with information and/or
> ideas on this subject.
>                               Thank you,     Kevin Farley- Hide quoted text -

> - Show quoted text -

> > Thank you ,Mike, for this valuable articule!!
> >   In addition to those large mysterious stone (or tufa?)statues found
> > in the Lake Nicaragua region (were they in the statue&column export
> > business?)....
> >   I've also been wondering why Costa Rica has the most magnificicnt
> > Jade Collection ( and pottery collections of great sophistication and
> > variaties of styles ) but seemingly  no major acrhitecture to speak
> > of ??? Any thoughts?
> >   Was Mayan Civilization much more diversafied and trade friendly
> > than
> > previovsly thought? Or was there an earlier Meta-Mayan empire that
> > allowed for manufacture of artifacts in Costa Rica for "market " in
> > the Yacatan.(ie.A united system, or Empire,without the boundries to
> > trade implyed by the image of waring City States?)
> >   Can the mineral composition of the statues and columns made in
> > Nicaragua be traced to sites in other places?
> >   Are the columns at Chichen Iza of local stone? Or from elsewhere?
> >   Analysis of mineral signatures should trace these patterns.Has it
> > been done?
> >   I look forward to hearing more from anyone with information and/or
> > ideas on this subject.
> >                               Thank you,     Kevin Farley- Hide quoted text -

> > - Show quoted text -

> That area is more cosmopolitan than one would think.  This is also
> true of Ometepe Island and the Santa Elana Penninsula. The jade finds
> are also sophisticated.  I've had a theory for some time, and that is
> that there was a c{*filter*}that was destroyed by volcanic activity. Using
> the Rio San Juan and Lake Nicaragua leaves only an eigh{*filter*} mile span
> to reach the Pacific.- Hide quoted text -

> - Show quoted text -