Not far from the small town Volcan in the highlands of Western Panama lies one of the most important archaeological sites of the country. Sitio Barriles is one of the few places of its type that can be regularly accessed by visitors, and its history is as impressive as the current efforts made to keep it open to the public.

I first heard about this place when I was still in school. One teacher mentioned it and since then I put Sitio Barriles on a top ten of list of places to visit in my country. During one of my recent trips to Chiriqui, where my maternal grandmother was born, I finally had the chance to learn more about Panama's Chibchan heritage which is very important to me as it is a vital part of my identity.

Barriles belongs to the Gran Chiriqui culture area and it is believed to have once been an important ceremonial centre with a population of about 500 to 1000. Its name comes from the small stone barrels found in this area, which have also been found elsewhere in the Chiriqui Viejo valley and in Costa Rica. The site can be accessed through the Landau finca, a local family's private property. The Landaus have made it their mission to preserve Barriles for Panamanians and foreigners alike by offering guided tours in both English and Spanish and building a small museum in their yard where they keep artefacts on display. Don Landau mentioned they don't receive as much support as you would hope from the respective authorities, so all donations to keep the site open to the public are greatly appreciated.

Perhaps because it has received little support from the cultural authorities of the country, Barriles is not as well known as other sites in Mesoamerica or Peru. Nevertheless, this place has been the subject of recent investigations of the possible connection of political and religious organisations to different degrees of social inequality. These changes in a society's organisation are of interest to many anthropological archaeologists who want to understand shifts in the history of humanity. A notable example comes from the statues found in the area, which depict one individual wearing a conical hat (possibly associated with a shamanistic tradition) riding atop a naked man. Scholars have interpreted this as an evidence of higher and lower social status groups within Barriles. For this and many more reasons, Barriles still represents a riddle for researchers who are convinced that the importance of this site transcends the Central American region.

Another highlight was the stone which depicts a map of the geography of Chiriqui and the settlements that existed during that time. With help of Don Landau I was able to understand the map, and this was impressive to see, since I have climbed to the highest elevation of the region and the country, Baru volcano, and what I saw from the top resembles what appears on the stone. It was absolutely fascinating!

Mr and Mrs. Landau make incredible efforts to educate the visitors of Sitio Barriles by opening up the doors of their home to teach people about the importance of this site for a better understanding of our shared past. It is regrettable that they don't receive more support for their noble enterprise, but it shows how committed they are to the preservation of our heritage.

I would recommend a visit to anybody who is passionate about anthropology and archaeology as well as eager to learn more about Mesoamerica and the pre-Columbian societies that flourished before the Spanish conquest of the Americas. I really enjoyed my visit to Barriles and I know I will be back with more questions sometime soon.