When we talk about paradisiacal places in Costa Rica, it is mandatory to look towards the part of the map where Guanacaste appears. Being very close to Puntarenas, it is not very difficult to guess what would be one of the main characteristics of the province of Guanacaste: its beaches. But, of course, that is not the only thing that this beautiful paradise has to offer. Guanacaste has excellent gastronomy, crafts, cultural activities, historical traditions, music, architecture, and much more.
The province of Guanacaste is located on the map on the border of the Pacific Ocean and northwest of Costa Rica. It is also known for its parks and biodiversity. Here is located the Santa Rosa National Park with a rare dry tropical forest, and surf sports. It has more than 250 species of birds.
Guanacaste has endless beaches, such as Playa Blanca, with calm waters, and Playa Hermosa, which is popular for diving and water sports. The Papagayo Peninsula has luxurious resorts and golf courses.
But, we see a little closer to this wonderful paradise.
A small gastronomic map of the province of Guanacaste in Costa Rica
When we talk about paradisiacal places in Costa Rica, it is mandatory to look towards the part of the map where Guanacaste appears. Being very close to Puntarenas, it is not very difficult to guess what would be one of the main characteristics of the province of Guanacaste: its beaches. But, of course, that is not the only thing that this beautiful paradise has to offer. Guanacaste has excellent gastronomy, crafts, cultural activities, historical traditions, music, architecture, and much more.
The province of Guanacaste is located on the map on the border of the Pacific Ocean and northwest of Costa Rica. It is also known for its parks and biodiversity. Here is located the Santa Rosa National Park with a rare dry tropical forest, and surf sports. It has more than 250 species of birds.
Guanacaste has endless beaches, such as Playa Blanca, with calm waters, and Playa Hermosa, which is popular for diving and water sports. The Papagayo Peninsula has luxurious resorts and golf courses.
But, we see a little closer to this wonderful paradise.
A small gastronomic map of the province of Guanacaste in Costa Rica
According to the great chefs worldwide, some dishes make you travel thanks to the taste. Knowing this, once you try the corn punch or the pinolillo, the sweet tortilla, the donuts, perrerreque, the tanelas, or the corn rice, undeniably these flavors will refer you to the map of Costa Rica, specifically, to Guanacaste.
All these delicious dishes are part of the gastronomic culture of Costa Rica. They are recipes inherited from the ancestors of the island. The main ingredient is corn. But not any corn. These are autochthonous, native, and creole varieties, as a Cultural Heritage of Costa Rica. The traces of the presence and use of corn in Costa Rica date back to 3,000 years BC, in what is now Guanacaste.
Corn-based foods are, and have been, a cultural heritage of great nutritional value.
How does the culture of Guanacaste put Costa Rica on the world map?
Craft
The tradition of making ceramic pieces of Chorotega influence is considered a living heritage. From the original populations of Guanacaste, to those of today, pottery is still valid in places such as Guaitil de Santa Cruz, Las Pozas and San Vicente de Nicoya, Puerto San Pablo and Santa Rita, in Nandayure, as well as in Tempatal de La Cruz, and it has spread to many other locations throughout the map of Costa Rica.
Pottery possibly began to be manufactured in Guanacaste around 4,000 years ago. The oldest evidence comes from the Tilarán mountain range. Regarding the production of current Chorotega ceramics, it dates from the beginning of the 20th century, when men collaborated in obtaining and preparing raw materials and women developed the activity and transmitted their knowledge to new generations.
The main material is the local clay, as it has its special qualities. Iguana sand is also used. This material is extracted from nearby rivers and is used by mixing it with mud.
The characteristic colors of the Chorotega pieces: red, brown, cream and orange, are obtained from curiol, which is a clayey soil that contains metallic oxides, such as high percentages of iron and manganese, among many others that give color.
It is found in veins, threads of colored earth that flare out in some locations and can be mined.
Another important material is the firewood that is used as fuel for baking, which enhances the need to constantly reforest the area. Baking is done in a very primitive way, with ovens made of clay where a large amount of firewood is put. Once at the desired temperature, the well-dried ceramic pieces “to be burned” are placed. That is the term used in the region to refer to the process of baking the pieces.
The religion
A beautiful part of the cultural map of Guanacaste and also of Costa Rica are the religious traditions. Guanacaste has a great cultural syncretism in its population and its festivities. Precisely, traditions that are still alive today, such as the Feast of Our Lady Virgin of Guadalupe, in Nicoya, or the Feast of Santo Cristo de Esquipulas, in Santa Cruz, bring together practices, knowledge, and traditions that make up an essential part of the intangible cultural heritage that characterizes these towns in the province of Guanacaste.
Religious traditions are practices that promote social cohesion and the sense of belonging to a social group, through the foundation of brotherhoods; whose ritual functions are used to plan, organize and direct the festive life and charitable activities of the population. Currently, the lay population, through the family organization, promotes and safeguards practices that highlight Guanacaste cultural identity.
Music
Something that differentiates Guanacaste from all the other provinces that you can find on the map of Costa Rica is that it has its own musical instrument: the quijongo.
A two-meter-long rod from guácimo calf, a rope tied end to end, a soundbox, a handkerchief, and a jícaro llanero, make up a Guanacastecan quijongo. This is a national instrument that, along with the marimba, makes it one of the most characteristic of the province of Guanacaste. Both because of its origin and because of its influence on a musical production in this region.
Currently, the quijongo is considered a Guanacastecan musical heritage. Being an accessible instrument, it allowed, on silent moonlit nights, to be a musical accompaniment to promote evenings and leisure spaces among the inhabitants of the haciendas. In addition, its melody is a complement to native genres, such as the well-known parrandera.
Guanacaste has several of the best beaches in Costa Rica map
When you look at the map of Guanacaste, you can see that it boasts several of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. According to the National Geography Institute, there is more than 200 km of total coastal sands in the province, made up of 139 beaches with a wide range of scenic beauties.
Virgin beaches, islets, and beautiful bays surrounded by dry tropical forest and an abundance of wildlife, are just a few minutes from modern hotels, lodging houses, villages, and local restaurants.
Conditions to enjoy not only the sun and a bath in the warm waters of the ocean pacific but also excellent sport fishing, world-class diving, surfing for all levels, as well as a long list of other marine activities.
