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Sarchí: Happy Land of Intense Colors & Precious Costa Rican Culture
On one of my last Eco-adventure with Ecogetaways Travel Team, we visited the quaint little town of Sarchí, located in the sunny province of Alajuela. This beautiful small town, is well known and famous for the lovely artisan’s handicrafts; workshops, woodworking, crafts, souvenir stores and of course; the traditional brightly painted oxcarts.
Delighted that there were so many things to see and enjoy in this authentic town, I decided to make a list of the highlights that you can’t miss to have a Cultural Costa Rican experience:
Taller Eloy Alfaro
I visited the historical Eloy Alfaro workshop that produces oxcarts using machinery powered by a huge waterwheel. The same machines used in the late 19th century in the original workshop. Here, I learned that the first oxcarts appeared in the 1880s and they were the only mean used to transport coffee, the economic engine of the country. The exquisitely and intricately painted colorful oxcarts were designated in 1988 as the National Symbol of work in Costa Rica and proclaimed by the UNESCO in 2005 as one of its Intangible World Heritages.
The Hidden Stories of the Local Artisans
I loved the opportunity to listen incredible stories from some of the local artisans about how they mastered the art and skill of painting the picturesque design of the typical oxcarts. The tradition of painting and decorating oxcarts started in the early 20th century. Originally each region of Costa Rica had its own particular oxcart design, which identified a driver’s origin by the painted patterns of his cart’s wheels. If you are very curious as me, you will be thrill to know that their super original and amazing designs are impressive abstracts representations of the exotic Costa Rican Nature. Isn’t it fantastic?
On the same visit I also felt sad and concerned, to know that it’s really hard to convince the younger generations to study an art form that is slowly disappearing; since oxcarts became useless nowadays and we are in risk of losing such an important and beautiful legacy. I recommend if you have time, to sign up for an art class with one of the factory artists to support them and enjoy a wonderful cultural experience.
The World’s Largest Oxcart
I was honestly amazed to see the largest oxcart of the world! The huge brightly painted “Carreta” decorating the Central Park in front of the beautiful church of Sarchí is definitely a must-see and selfie spot. It was built in 2006 in order to be in the Guinness Book of World Records and it was a amazing!
The Church
The Church of Sarchí is one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful churches since it features a lovely architectural design, vaulted hardwood ceiling and carvings contributed by local artisans. It is definitely a very photogenic spot so…Get your camera ready!
Shopping for Souvenirs
With a perfect weather and surrounded by green hills, Sarchí is for me one of the very Best destinations for buying souvenirs! If you are looking for a little unique token of your visit to Costa Rica this is the place to buy it, since you will not only get something super original and handmade, but also will collaborate to the development of the community and the local economy. It was a really difficult task to pick what to buy since everything in the gift shop is so lovely. At the end, I decided to buy two beautiful platters, painted with the stunning oxcart designs, a beautiful coffee cup and Natalie bought a small oxcart for the office desk. If you have visited our country, I would love to know below in the comments what souvenir you bought to take back home and remember your happy days spent in Costa Rica. Pura Vida!