The are a lot of varieties of Costa Rican music, of very good quality and form; it comes from contemporary musicians that have managed to incorporate it to their creations offering it greater international projection.

At present exists a great number of untamed, musical groups (fanfares), choruses, trios, quartets, groups of guitar and symphony orchestras and of folk and popular music also with Caribbean Afro accent and calypsos. Many of which have in the marimba its main instrument. Thanks to a network of Municipal Music Schools, the youths can be initiated in practice of an instrument from a very early age; to obtain an academic title and to continue higher education in the different universities. Since it was founded in 1993, the School of Musical Arts of the University of Costa Rica has reinforced the academic study of the music given in the municipal schools; also supporting the experimentation, for which recently it has opened a Center of Electronic Music and Investigation, and initiated a research program and renewal of the Costa Rican Musical Patrimony. Additionally, there is also the School of Music in National University and created the National Institute of Music.

This search for excellence originated, among others things, the National symphony orchestra in the decade of 1940, and the Conservatory of Music in 1942; which became a part of the University of Costa Rica in 1944. In 1926 the first symphony orchestra under the direction of the Belgian Juan Loots was organized, delegated counselor of bands since 1907. It was dissolved in 1927. It was not until the decade of 1940, that was born the National symphony orchestra, that lasted until 1970. That same year, José Figueres Ferrer is elected president, and he decides to create the new Department of Culture, Youth and Sports. The orchestra was reorganized, for which were hired many foreign musicians that would form the youths at the same time they form part of the orchestra. Two years later, the Youthful National Orchestra Program is born. These initial efforts were consolidated during the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century with the internacionalization of the Costa Rican music. In 1999, the group Editus won a Grammy prize with the Panamanian singer Rubén Blades, incorporating elements of contemporary, classical music and jazz. Three years later, it was repeated, in company of other artists and Blades; and wins another Grammy in 2002, incorporating this time, the instruments and rhythms of the Irish, Arabian and Afro-Cuban. The National symphony orchestra received a standing ovation in different countries as Japan, Spain and Germany. The singer and Costa Rican composer Guadalupe Urbina has carried out tours through Europe; the soprano Iride Martínez has sung with Placido Domingo; the pianist Iván Salazar obtained a gold medal in the conservatories of Montpellier Avignon; the ballet “My beautiful one Costa Rica” won the first prize in the festival of orchestra, song and dance in the Pyrenees in 2005. In Chile, in February of 2006, the Costa Rican Humberto, won the first prize in the International Festival of Vina del Mar. Be encouraged! With the internet as a tool, explore the marvelous Costa Rican music and be delighted with its rhythms. Without doubt, they will carry the dream of these beautiful central american lands.
Pura vida!

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Museum vivo de San Vicente de Nicoya:
The museum Vivo de la Cerámica Chorotega, is an “Ecomuseum” filled with treasures that involves community land and its historical, artistic and environmental heritage.
San Vicente is a community located 17 miles southeast of Santa Cruz, and 20 km northeast of Nicoya. The road is paved from Guaitil Santa Cruz (2 km before San Vicente).
The road to San Vicente de Nicoya is made up of large stones but it is accessible to any type of vehicle.
Visitors are invited to San Vicente to the homes of families and their workshops to see and learn about the process of ceramics, and buy art crafts.
Tel: (506) 2681 – 1563

Museum of Contemporary Art in the open air of Punta Islita:
Located in Punta Islita, Nandayure, in the province of Guanacaste. This museum is based on a social and artistic concept, with creative thinking as the engine of sustainable development. It also seeks to develop an artistic language with a group of ten local artists.
Tel: (506) 2290 – 4259

Museum of Religious Art of Señor de Agonía:
Located 500 meters east of the Liberian Government House, in the Chapel of Agonia. The aim of this museum is to preserve and conserve the heritage and religious traditions of Liberia. It houses a large nineteenth century collection, such as sculptures and art objects of Hispanic heritage.
Tel: (506) 2666 – 0107

Museum of Religious Art of San Blas, Nicoya:
It is located opposite Plaza de Nicoya in Guanacaste. This building was declared a national relic in 1923 and in 1995 became the site of great historical and architectural interest. It has historical relics dating from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries from Spain and Latin America. It also has a collection of religious images, pottery, bronze and paintings.
Tel : (506) 2685 – 5109

Historic Museum “Casona de Santa Rosa”:
It is located in the National Park Santa Rosa. Place where the “Battle of Santa Rosa” took place, on March 20th, 1856, against the pirate troops of William Walker.
This is a restore structure very big, typical of the Guanacaste Estates. Its rooms quartered the troops of Walker, during the battles until many failed attempts to burn the estate where the ones who tried perished. The national Heroe Juan Santamarina (a barefoot soldier of the Costa Rican troops) got to light fire to the estate, forcing the evacuation of the same by the “Filibusteros” (name used for the Walker mercenaries); which gave Costa Ricans the victory. The soldier died after his actions, hence the worship to his sacrifice
The museum is completely dedicated to this historic era.

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Puntarenas:

The Indigenous Community Museum of Terraba:

This museum is located within the indigenous territory of Boruca in Buenos Aires of Puntarenas. The museum’s focus is to bring awareness to old manufacturing techniques, organic culture and artisanal weaving and handcrafts. It also claims to be recovering and reviving the traditional culture of Boruca.

Museum of the Rock Spheres:

The history during the occupied period of the Delta of Diquis, the times since the Pre Columbian era up to the years of the “Campaña del Banano” (Banana Campaign), as well as interesting stone spheres also frpre columbianian times, are the fundamental basics for the exhibitions of this fairly new museum. It was created as a complement to the “Finca 6” archeological site. The archeologists of the Costa Rican National Museum have been investigating this site, where they found visible evidence of indigenous camp sites and stones spheres “in situ” (in its original placement). It’s turned into quite an important archeological station, on par with the “Guayabo” site, due to the wonderfully preserved state of the buildings and structures it houses. The cultural presence and scenery of the Diquis Delta was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO organization.

There is research and active work that being conducted for the archeological investigations in the area of the “Finca 6” site by the National Museum of Costa Rica, which began in 2005. Those involved, have outlined and zoned off an area of containing two artificial mounds measuring between 20 and 30 meters in diameter (65 to 100 feet approximately). These mounds are said to have been the foundations for the indigenous shacks and huts. In some cases, they were also used for burials.

There are also zones with an amassed concentration of lysine and ceramics. It is possible that these two things have some relevance to the fact that these areas are known to be “accumulation” or “residual zones” and is where the original inhabitants of this area buried their dead.

Historical Museum of the City Marina de Puntarenas:

This museum is best at demonstrating the natural beauty of the port city, its rich and abundant history and the sheer beauty of its surroundings. Throughout our visit there, we found ourselves exploring many diverse areas, some dealing with natural history, others specifying in archeology and history; yet it remains fixed in representing all the life and development that has taken place throughout thousands of years.

All the information is presented in a way that allows for easy learning about the first indigenous tribes present in this region, the manner in which they obtained their food and took advantage of the various natural resources of the zone.

Also during a visit to this museum, there will be explanations referencing the types of funeral and burial practices that took place, as well as bartering and commerce relations that they established with other cultures. There’s also information on traditional and religious celebrations. Aside from the culture, the museum also exhibits the diversity of the natural resources found in this area: it’s wetlands, forests, marine areas, birds, land animals as well as sea/water animals. That’s not all, there’s also mention of the “natural richness” of the “Isla de Jack” (Island of Jack) along with a few interesting pirates and hidden treasure stories to entertain children and adults alike.

Puerto Limon:

The Turtle Museum:

This museum is located in the Biological Station of the John H. Pipps Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC), in Tortuguero. Their objective is to learn about the flora and fauna culture present in the area of Tortuguero, in particular about the turtles themselves, in order to create consciousness about the dangers surrounding and posed to this species, which is in fact on an endangered species list.

Finally, it also intends to give light to the origins and trajectory of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC).

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Museo de Formas, Espacios y Sonidos (Form, Space and Sound Museum): This museum is located in Barrio la California, between Avenues 7 and 9 in the Old Railway Trolley “Ferrocarril al Atlantico.” It’s a non-profit organization which counts with the support and patronage of the Museum of Costarican Art. It provides visitors with a space for the formation, education, and awareness of the arts through hands-on interaction with the objects being exhibited and through the introduction and implementation of educational programs.

The Insect Museum of the University of Costa Rica: The Insect Museum is located within the University of Costa Rica’s campus at San Pedro de Montes de Oca. It’s home to a large collection of insects from around all of Central America as well as a nice selection of exotic insects.

The Jewish Community Museum of Costa Rica: The Jewish Community Museum has had its doors open since 2005 and is dedicated to the history of the Jewish community in Costa Rica as well as to the memory of the many victims of the Holocaust.

The Lyceum Museum of Costa Rica: This museum has a great collection of wonderful works of art, paintings and handcrafted pieces. It also possesses a collection of photographs depicting the most important events that took place throughout the 20th century and in which graduates of the institution have had a definite hand in putting together. The Lyceum has also etched out several spaces dedicated to Sports which includes a trophy room, as well as a wing for ex-Presidents and important public figures.

The Philately and Numismatics Museum of Costa Rica: This museum is a stamp, coin and/or medal collectors dream! It’s located on the 2nd floor of the building housing the headquarters of Costa Rica’s Post Office, in San Jose’s city center; between the second street of the First and Third avenues. The museum exhibits the cultural heritage of the Post within Costa Rica; tracing the trajectory of varied telecommunication systems dating back to 1849, the year when the Costarican Post Administration was established. It has a large collection of stamps from 220 different countries which gets updated constantly.

Costa Rica’s Photography Museum: This museum is located on the eastern side of the Balmoral Hotel; between Third and Seventh streets connecting with Central Avenue. The Photography Museum was designed to be a space used for the express purpose of exhibiting the creations and artistic installments of photographers.

The Joaquin Garcia Monge Museum: It’s made up of a gallery dedicated to the contributions of the writer and educator: Joaquin Garcia Monge, along with his literary works and personal belongings. Another gallery in this museum has been dedicated to temporary exhibitions, to the arts, and to special conferences.

The Rafael Obregon Loria Museum (Grand Lodge of Costa Rica): The Rafael O. Loria Museum is located on Avenida Central, Calle 19, in the center of San Jose. The museum has the duty of preserving and exhibiting the representative elements of Masonic history in Costa Rica and emphasizes that it has contributed its share to the national development of the country.

Costarican Regional Art Museum: The Regional Art Museum is located within the grounds of the Clinica Integrada de Tibas on the extreme south side of the Ricardo Saprissa stadium in San Juan de Tibas. This museum is the model example of how the health institutions in this country have come to an agreement with each other to protect and showcase cultural heritage and the concept or idea of art as an integral component to and for health.

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Following is a list of the most important museums in Costa Rica.

San Jose

Costa Rica National Museum:

Located in San Jose on 17th Street, between Centroamerica and Segunda Avenues.  Situated in the old Barrio Bellavista, it offers a magnificent panoramic vista of the capital.  In its wards one can find authentic treasures of natural history, pre-Colombian art and Costa Rican history. 

Jade Museum (Jade Museum Lic. Fidel Tristan):

Located on the 11th floor of the National Institute of Securities on 7th Avenue between 7th and 9th streets. 

It is the only museum on the continent dedicated to showing the pre-Colombian art engraved in jade.    

Museum of Costa Rican Art:

Situated at the extreme east of the La Sabana Metropolitano Park on 42nd Street and  Paseo Colon. The Museum building originally belonged to the Costa Rica airport. Aside from the permanent exposition of great works of Costa Rican visual art, the museum exhibits paintings and sculptures from the most famous national and international contemporary artists. 

Costa Rica National Bank Museum:

Located on 5th Street between Central and Segunda Avenues, at the Plaza de la Cultura and next to the Teatro Nacional.  One finds, in this museum, the largest collection of Pre-Colombian gold pieces, as well as numismatic. Within the modern installations there are also expositions of visual arts that include:   

The Museum of Pre-Colombian Gold:  has an extraordinary collection of gold objects that reflect the worldvision, social structure and tools utilized by the Pre-Colombian towns of the current Costa Rica.  The exposition shows the usage and function of stone technology and the relation between nature and the daily lives of these towns.  The collection consists of 1,600 Pre-Colombian gold pieces that date between 500 BC to 1500 AD. 

It has 2 levels:  the introductory space, which represents the socio-cultural evolution of Pre-Colombian cultures,  is on the second floor.  There is also the development of metallurgy in Costa Rica, its stages and styles. 

The gold pieces exposition (3rd floor) is where one can appreciate the different usages and meanings of the gold objects.  Visitors may see a video that introduces the exposition

The Numismatic Museum: shows the evolution from 1502 to present day.  The tour begins with an explanation of money and its usages and continues with the history of the country’s currency (like Trueque, currency of colonial dominance).  Furthermore, it offers an interactive ward to promote the collection of art, bills and coins through a video “Passion for Paper and Money”. 

The collection consists of close to 5,000 objects, among them:  coins, bills, coffee bags, seals, documents and photographs

Continues…

Images: GGM

Blogalaxia Tags: Travel Destination, Tours, Costa Rica, Culture, Places, Museum, San Jose

We continue with the list of the most important museums of Costa Rica.

San Jose

Children’s Museum:

Located in the building that for many years was the Costa Rica Central Penitentiary. It was later, with consultation from the Children’s Museum of Caracas, Venezuela redesigned into a modern museum, specifically for children of the whole world.

Tel. (506) 2258.4929

Museum of Contemporary Art, Drawings and Models (Museum of Contemporary Art and Design): 

Founded in 1994, this museum is dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of new tendencies in art and design from the Central Region of America.  Located among the installations at the old National Liquor Factory, is a zone of great architectural heritage that dates to the XIX century.  This complex of buildings, after a radical renovation in the 90’s, was converted in 1994 by the National Cultural Center (CENAC, acronym in Spanish), belonging to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Costa Rica

Teatro Nacional (National Theater):

Completed in 1897, its construction was financed by the coffee producers of Costa Rica.  It is located at the center of San Jose at the  Plaza de la Cultura, between Central Avenue and Segunda Avenue.  This is Costa Rica’s main cultural center.  World conferences, national prizes for art and culture, symphony orchestras, Costa Rican and world theatre and dance companies are presented within its walls.  It has three visual arts exposition halls.  

Tel: (506) 2257 7202 / 2257 9370

Fax: (506) 2257 8702

Dr. Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia Historical Museum:

Located in San Jose on 11th Avenue between 25th and 27th Streets at 100 meters towards the extreme east and 100 towards the extreme north of the Santa Teresita Church.  It is named after the country’s ex-President (1940-1944), who has been honored with the title of Benemerito de la Patria (National Hero of the Country.  Great social reformer of Costa Rica.  The museum’s mission is to recuperate, preserve and, reveal the value and, above all, the historical importance of the life and work of  Dr. Rafael Angel Calderon and to contribute to the cultural formation and education through diverse cultural events to maintain a stronger relationship and a better interchange with the national community.  Entrance is free. 

Railroad Museum:

Located on Third Avenue on 19th street.  One can discover Costa Rica’s railroad history inside,  mainly through old photographs

Postal, Telegraph and Philatelic Museum:

Located in San Jose between first and third avenues on second street.  It has a large amount of stamps and an ancient telegraph equipment. It shares the building with the Costa Rica Post Office.  It has been restored and declared a historical landmark of the city

Tel: (506) 2223 9166 -

Fax: (506) 2223 6918

La Salle Museum of Natural Sciences:

Situated south of San Jose, at the extreme south of the La Sabana Park, ex La Salle University.  It offers a gamut of 55,000 local species of ornithology, entomology, mollusks and taxidermy. 

Tel: (506) 2232 1306

Fax: (506) 2231 7898

Images: GGM

Blogalaxia Tags: Travel Destination, Tours, Costa Rica, Culture, Places,  Museum, San Jose

Nonetheless, this article is dedicated to the “tico” way of speaking. In other words, the local dialects, street slang or “popular speaking” as it’s called. These are words and phrases that’ll be useful for you to know as a tourist. It’ll help you to understand and to be understood in different places and situations. Take these words and phrases for example:

“Mae” : This refers to a person without regard to gender. It’s the same as the Mexican saying “cuate,” the Venezuelan “pàrse” or “parsero” of the Colombians, or even the Australian “mate.” It’s most frequent use is in everyday conversations. “¿Mae, que´s la vara?” (“What’s up, mate?”). “La mae estudia tamaño poco.” (The girl studies a lot.)

“Un rojo” : is a bill of one thousand Costa Rican Colons (colones). It’s called this way (a red one) because of its red tint. “A un rojo el pinto y el casado.” (The “pinto” and the “casado” are two typical dishes of the country. They consist of rice and beans mixed together >>> el pinto; rice and beans without mixing >>> el casado. Both of these dishes can be accompanied by a side order of braised meat with sauce, minced meat, or steak. Or if you’d like, with pork chops, fish, plantains, tortillas, “picadillo” (a kind of coleslaw), shredded carrots and cilantro and washed down with a natural, freshly made juice.

“Una teja” : is a coin of one hundred colones. “Dos tejas y media, los pases a Escazu.” This would mean, “Two hundred  and fifty colones, for the bus fare/pass to Escazu.”

“Brete” : Simply means, work. “Mae, no puedo ir de fiesta. Tengo mucho brete.” (Can’t go out to party today. I have a lot of work to do).

“Harina” “Pasta” : Two ways of saying, money. “Hay que untar mucha pasta por ese chuzo.” (That ‘latest model’ car costs a lot of money.)

“Jupa” : Word for, the head. “Mae, pongase vivo. No permita que le den por la jupa.” (Pay attention. Be careful and don’t let them get the best of you.)

“Troles” : Means, feet. “No nos queda otra que ir troleando,  mae.” (We have no choice but to go walking, mate.)

“Jalar” : To go. “Tengo afan mae. Voy jalando.” (I’m in a hurry. I need to go. I’m leaving.)

It’s also worth mentioning as an aside, the way that Costa Ricans give directions…which is unusually complicated.  While in South America we make references to avenues, streets, and neighborhoods to relate directions to a person.  But in Costa Rica perhaps because of the small size of the country, here in Tiquizia, we use instead the four cardinal points (north, south, east, west) and the distance in meters as references.

In other words, “400 meters  South, 100 North of the National Bank. In Desamparados” or “De la Pops at Curridabat, 150 metros Sur. A la par de la pulperia Don Francisco” ( 150 meters South of Pops at Curridabat. Next to Don Francisco convenient store.) “A la par” means “next to” or “on par with..” Another example is, “al costado Oeste del Parque Nacional, Lado Oeste de la Plaza Nacional, piso superior de la Zapateria.” << ready for this one? It means, “ On the western side of the National Park, at the west side of the National Plaza, on the floor above the Zapateria (a shoe store).”

For the tourist that has only recently arrived, what all this means, is a possible headache the moment they decide to leave their hotel for a stroll or a walk around, and then trying to ask their way back after a long walk or errand.  All the more so when in San Jose, because it’s difficult to find the cardinal points, due to the unstable topography of the city.

My recommendation is this: Always know that Heredia is to the North, Desamparados to the South, Cartago to the East, and Alajuela to the West. This way, when someone tells you: “Your hotel is around the corner, 200 meters North of Parque España and 50 East,” you’ll know that only two and half city blocks separate you from your hotel.  ¡Bueno, amigos, voy jalando. Pura Vida!  (loose translation: “All right my friends, I’m out!”)