Before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, Costa Rica \u2013 like other countries in Central and South America \u2013 was entirely populated by indigenous tribes. Prior to 1502, between 400,000 and 500,000 native people lived in Costa Rica in distinct cultural groups, spread out throughout the country. It is thought that at one point there were as many as 25 tribes. The various indigenous tribes seemed to be influenced by the Mesoamerican civilizations of north Central America, or Macro-Chibcha civilizations of northern South America.<\/p>\n