General Information:
Location: 27 km (17 mi.) from San José
Weather: Moderate days, cool in the evenings
Temperature: 68-73 °F, see Cartago climate
Altitude: 1435 m (4930 ft) above sea level
Read more about the San Jose (Central Valley) Tourism Region
About:
Cartago is a modern city of 100,000 people. It has shopping centers and innovative architecture, and is located about forty-five minutes by bus from the capital of San José. For over three hundred years, this small town served as the colonial capital of Costa Rica.
Brief History:
Cartago was made colonial capital in 1561 when Spanish settlers moved inland from the hot, tropical coastal areas of Costa Rica, looking for fertile land and an escape from the "tourists" besieging Costa Rica's coastal cities.
The "tourists" in this case were pirates, English brigands accompanied by their Meskito allies (escaped slaves intermarried with local Indians) who raided unchallenged up and down the coast, making everybody's life miserable and every business unprofitable.
The immigrants found what they were looking for on the high central plateaus of what are now the Cartago and San José Provinces. Here were cooler temperatures, lots and lots of cheap (i.e., free) land, soil made rich by the effluence of volcanoes and, best of all, no pirates. The settlers' efforts bore fruit. The upland provinces developed into what are now the wealthiest and most populous areas of Costa Rica.
Of course, the first two centuries of settlement were neither wealthy nor populous. Conditions were so tenuous that Cartago became known as a "Moving City" as time and again Spanish settlers were forced to load the town onto their backs and haul it off to new locations in search of greener pastures or to avoid getting roasted by volcanoes which had a way of waking them up in the dead of night with a river of hot lava flowing through their kitchens.
The eighteenth century found the city settled in its current location. Now, instead of pirates, they dealt with earthquakes that rattled the city flat in 1823 and again in 1910.
On October 13, 1821, a letter arrived in Cartago, informing the people that Costa Rican demands for autonomy had been granted. Spain declared Costa Rica a free and independent nation that came as a surprise to most Costa Ricans, for free and independent they always had been. In 1823, Costa Rica's governmental seat was moved to San José and Cartago remained the capital of Cartago province.
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Places to See:
Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, named for the Patron Saint of Costa Rica, is constructed on the site of a miracle. On August 2, 1635, The Virgin showed herself as a doll made of stone to a poor girl named Juana Pereira. The girl took the doll home to play with, but the doll disappeared and then reappeared at the spot where she had first seen it. This was viewed as a sign that the virgin wanted a church built here, and so it was.
There is a spring in the back part of the cathedral. The water from here is believed to have healing properties. Every August second, Costa Ricans ask The Virgin for special favors, many of them walking or even crawl on hands and knees from their home towns to the Cathedral in order to present their petitions, hoping these sacrifices will be noticed and their requests granted.
Cartago's central park (between Avenidas 1 and 2 and Calle Central and Calle 2) is worth visiting. Facing the park are Las Ruinas de Cartago of the Iglesia de la Parroquía, (the Cartogan Ruins of the Church of la Parroquía). The church was built in 1575, damaged by many earthquakes and rebuilt many times by Cartagineses. The whopper quake of 1910 finally leveled the structures, so today only the walls still stand, overgrown inside by a profusion of lovely tropical plants and flowers.
Services:
The town has no tourist office.
Banks: The Banco de Costa Rica is located at Avenida 4 between Calle 5 and Calle7; Banco Naciónal is located at Calle 3 and Avenida 2. Banking hours: Monday through Friday 8:30am to 3:30pm.
Post Office: Located at Calle, between Avenida 2 and Avenida 4 on the right hand side. Hours: Monday through Friday 7:30am to 5pm.
There are public restrooms across the street from the cathedral.
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Getting There:
SACSA buses run 24 hours a day between Cartago and San José. It is about a forty-minute ride. Catch the bus at Avenida 2 near Calle 19. Ask the driver to drop you off at Las Ruinas. Taxis can be hailed down at the stand near the Las Ruinas.
Where to Eat:
There are not many restaurants in Cartago. Try ordering something to go and eat it near the Basilica or near the Ruins.
Nightlife: Late night excitement either (1) does not exist, or (2) is a very a well-kept kept secret.
Nearby:
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