The Chorotega are the best known pre-Columbian people who lived on the Nicoya Peninsula in today's Costa Rica. The modern-day indigenous group is also found in Honduras and Nicaragua, in addition to Costa Rica.

The Chorotega came to the peninsula during the 8th century and, linguist links, suggest that this group is a descendant of the Olmec in Mexico. They spoke the Mangue language which is of the Oto-Manguean stock and likely migrated from Chiapas, Mexico.

Living in Costa Rica during the period when the Mayan civilization was at its height, the Chorotega have left cultural links extending from Mexico through Central America that continues to the Andes.

Most of the knowledge about the Chorotega comes from their artwork. The Chorotega produced elaborate jade work, quality pottery and sculptures. What we understand about them today is concluded from studying these works.

It is believed that the Chorotega were hierarchical and militaristic. The Chorotega carried out frequent wars with neighboring people. They kept slaves and practiced cannibalism. They also practiced human sacrifice and self-mutilation. Similar to other cultures of this period in Central America, the Chorotega believed in shamanism, fertility rites and ritualistic dances.

The Chorotega were corn famers and had markets to sell their products. It's believed that they were a semi-democratic people where chiefs were elected but little is known about their belief structure.

The civilization of this group lasted for more than 2,000 years. The arrival of the Spanish brought disease and war, which wiped out most of this group's population. However, the artisanship of this group is still visible in the works of the remaining indigenous groups in Nicoya.