Maleku people

Traditional grass hut in a Maleku outpost near La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

The Maleku are an indigenous people of Costa Rica located in the Guatuso Indigenous Reserve near the town of Guatuso (San Rafael de Guatuso). Historically they were also known as the Guatuso,[1] the name used by Spanish settlers. Around 600 aboriginal people live on the reserve, making this the smallest tribe in Costa Rica,[2] but outsiders have come into the community as well. Before the Spanish settlement, their territory extended as far west as Rincon de la Vieja, and included the volcano Arenal to the south and Rio Celeste as sacred sites. Today their reserve is concentrated south of San Rafael de Guatuso, an hour north of La Fortuna.

  1. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Guatusos" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 665.
  2. ^ "Maleku Indigenous Tribe". Maleku Indians Costa Rica. Retrieved 2017-03-05.