0785 COSTA RICA - Oxherding and Oxcart Traditions in Costa Rica (UNESCO ICH)

The oxcart was a common means of transportation in many countries of the world for millennia, but only in very few has been given it so much importance as in Costa Rica. Considering it essential for the daily life but also for the commerce, the locals developed a unique construction and decoration of these carts, that is still being developed. The parades and traditional celebrations aren't complete without a oxcart parade. More than that, in 1988, the traditional oxcart was declared as National Symbol of Work by the Costa Rican government, and in 2005, the Oxherding and oxcart traditions in Costa Rica were included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

0397 COSTA RICA - Arenal Volcano

I wrote about the rich fauna of Costa Rica here, and about an important chapter of its history here, so now it's time to present one of the volcanoes of the country, namely Arenal Volcano, also known as Pan de Azúcar, Canaste, Volcan Costa Rica, Volcan Río Frío or Guatusos Peak. Located at around 90 km northwest of San José, at the center of Arenal Volcano National Park, this active andesitic stratovolcano measures at least 1,633 metres and is considered a young volcano, its age being estimated to be less than 7,000 years. It is fully surrounded by tropical rainforest, including its flora and fauna, is accompanied by inactive Chato volcano and the relics of another ancient volcanoes, and have two small lakes of emerald colored water at its laps.

0154 COSTA RICA - Area de Conservación Guanacaste - Hacienda Santa Rosa (UNESCO WHS)

I tend to believe that Sophia is right, and I'm a lucky guy: I haven't found this postcard on the Internet, so it's a rarity. Muchas gracias, Sophia. In addition, the Santa Rosa's Casona was burned down in May 2001 and later was re-built, and  I believe, although I have no argument, that the image was taken before the fire.

As I said here, despite the limited number of cultural sites, Costa Rica is the most visited nation in the Central American region. Neither the site which includes this hacienda is a cultural one, but its historical significance isn't neglected.

Stretching from the Pacific across the Cordillera de Guanacaste to the Atlantic, in the northwestern part of Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste (included among UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1999), which comprises Santa Rosa, Guanacaste, Rincón de la Vieja National Parks and the Junquillal Bay Wildlife Refuge, contains a range of habitats, including some of the most pristine wetland forests worldwide and the best dry forest habitats in Central America.

Santa Rosa National Park (Parque Nacional Santa Rosa) was originally created to protect the scene of the Battle of Santa Rosa (20 March 1856), won by Costa Rican army over the forces of filibuster William Walker, became president of Nicaragua a few months before, after the failure of the adventure called Republic of Sonora, whose president was also. The intensions of Walker were to conquer the five provinces of Central America, but Juan Rafael Mora Porras, the President of Costa Rica, guessed his plan and on 27 February 1856 declared war to Nicaragua. The Costa Rican army, led by the president, began the march on 4 March from San José to the northern border, arriving in Liberia on 12 March, where they joined the battalion organized there (Moracia Battalion).

When Walker realized what was happening, he sent troops, under the leadership of colonel Schlessinger, which entered in Costa Rica through the road that joined Nicaragua with Liberia and which passed by the Hacienda Santa Rosa, where they arrived on 19 March. The Costa Ricans, meanwhile, began the walk to Santa Rosa and on 20 March at 4 o'clock, armed with rifles, sabres, and bayonets, began the attack, surrounded the mercenaries that had stationed themselves in the casona, and fourteen minutes later they won the battle. In April, Costa Rican troops penetrated into Nicaraguan territory and inflicted a defeat on Walker's men at the Second Battle of Rivas, in which Juan Santamaría played a key role. In nowadays, April 11, the day of victory at Rivas, but also the day of Santamaria's death, is a Costa Rican national holiday (National Hero’s Day or Juan Santamaria Day). Walker was executed on September 12, 1860, in Trujillo, by the Honduran authorities.

The farm kept for years its strategic significance. This place was the location of two more battles of Costa Rican forces against invading forces from Nicaragua, in 1919 and in 1955. Now the hacienda is museum, inside the house being photos, illustrations, carbines, and other military paraphernalia commemorating the battles. One room is furnished in period style. Another one is a small chapel. Large wooden mortars and pestles are on display, along with decrepit chaps and centenary riding gear. There's also a good nature exhibit, and outside is a large guanacaste tree.

About the stamp I wrote extensively here.


sender: Sophia Machado (direct swap)
sent from San José (Costa Rica), on 30.01.2012
foto: Julio C. Sequeira

0121 COSTA RICA – "Doooon’t booootheeeer meee, pleeeeease…"

I remember as if would be now that in elementary school I got a 10 (maximum grade) to Geography because I was the only one in class who knew which is the only continental country in the world without army (the things happenings in the late '70s). And I remember also that when I learned this, a few months before being asked, I considered it an amazing trickery. "How to attack a country that has no army? Who could do such a baseness?" It's excusable, I was 12-13 years old when I put to myself such questions. Therefore I have pleasant memories about this country, without to have ever been there. Just as Sophia (who sent me the postcard - muchas gracias), who has fond memories about Romania, also without to have ever been here. Even more than that, as you can read on the postcard, she now learn Romanian language. Romanian is a Latin language, as well as the Spanish, so it will be easy, even if the grammar is quite complicated.

Despite the limited number of cultural sites, Costa Rica is the most visited nation in the Central American region, with two million foreign visitors in 2008, because it ranks 6th worldwide in the natural resources pillar. Costa Rica was also a pioneer in ecotourism, and the country is recognized as one of the few with true ecotourism. System of national parks and protected areas is the largest in the world as a percentage of the country's territory (around a quarter), and home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Costa Rica has only 0.03% of the world's landmass, but it's estimated that contain 5% of the world's biodiversity.

Among the thousands of species of animals living in Costa Rica is the sloth, the world's slowest mammal, so sedentary that algae grows on its furry coat. On the picture is a brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus), the most common of the four species of three-toed sloth. The size of this sloth is being 42 to 80 cm in total body length, he has a rounded head, with a blunt nose and inconspicuous ears. The face is generally paler in color, with a stripe of very dark fur running beneath the eyes. Brown-throated sloths sleep 15 to 20 hours every day, and are active for only a few brief periods, which may be during either the day or night. Three-toed sloths also have an advantage that few other mammals possess: they have extra neck vertebrae that allows them to turn their heads some 270 degrees.

A last parenthesis before going to stamp: Costa Rica also knows to protect the national "wealth" which is the natural environment. For example it has successfully managed to diminish deforestation from some of the worst rates in the world from 1973 to 1989, to almost zero by 2005. Moreover, in May 2007 the Costa Rican government announced its intentions to become 100 percent carbon neutral before 2030.

In terms of franking, the story is long and I must admit that surprised me, because I know almost nothing about this system, used in more and more countries. In 2001 Correos de Costa Rica began a plan that tried to set in motion an integrated computer network for the management of all the services of the company. As part of this plan, were installed 148 franking scales in all the postal branches around the country. The system was changed and improved constantly, until it came to what is seen on my postcard, which has printed on it the service, postal branch and postal employee code, at the centre of the label (2.1200 JDURAN, in the image), whilst in the lower blank area are the balance number (24146), the date of issue (18ENE12 - 18 January 2012) and the 10-digit face value (*******340).

In mid-2010 Correos de Costa Rica ordered the production of new rolls of labels (which are not considered as philatelic material). Following the proposed designs, rolls were manufactured with 2 new designs, dedicated to the Golfo de Papagayo and the Tortuga Lora. In the picture is the second model, dedicated to the Olive ridley sea turtle or Lora turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), the smallest of sea turtles and spawns on the Pacific beaches of Costa Rica.

The labels are produced using self-adhesive thermal paper, printed by letterpress, with a holographic varnish - or foil impression - on the surface finish design. For security, the labels include the usual central C score and, for the first time, a spot varnish with the text CORREOS DE COSTA RICA, in 2 lines, visible only when tilting the stamp slightly, in front of a light. Here you can find many other details about this system and the history of its usage in Costa Rica.


sender: Sophia Machado (direct swap)
sent from San José (Costa Rica), on 18.01.2012
foto: Adrian Hepworth / 1999