The town of Sarchí, is one of the main artisan centers!

The town of Sarchí, about 29 kilometers from Alajuela, is one of the main artisan centers in Costa Rica where tourists can admire and acquire these colorful treasures. There are dozens of souvenir shops where oxcarts are sold in every imaginable size and price range. Tourists visiting this quaint town can feast their eyes with the beautiful colors and designs of the Costa Rican painted oxcarts. Artisans work on them until they are turned into intricate works of art. From a miniature size one to almost live sized, there is always a special oxcart to take home by someone looking for “something unique and different.” There is even an oxcart, a favorite among sophisticated shoppers that has been modified to be used as a mini-bar, complete with an elegant tray and wine glasses and without a doubt, a real conversation piece.

The exotic, colorful designs painted on scale models, are patterned after the painting techniques used on the real oxcart. The drawings are a beautiful mixture of Middle Eastern strokes and indigenous patterns. The wheels of the cart are painted over a very bright background from where a couple of pointy sunbursts release their superimposed, triangular rays to create a very unique three-dimensional kaleidoscopic effect of gorgeous colors and patterns. The color used for the wheels is always the same color used for the rest of the oxcart to achieve esthetic uniformity.

To create their magnificent works of art, artisans paint delicate flowers on the wood surface of the oxcarts, separated only by fine, dark lines and adorned with small petals scattered gently here and there. The oxcart is more than a means of transportation in Costa Rica. It is a part of the history. After 1840 it became the main means of transportation for export products from the country. In fact it was by oxcart that the first shipment of coffee, destined for London, was taken to the main ports in 1843. It was not until over 100 years later, after World War II, that it gave way to the inventions of the new age.

Since the early 20th century !

Since the early 20th century the tradition of painting the oxcarts commenced, as by now they were even a status symbol of the family. In the town of Sarchi they built a reputation for quality work, and the largest of the factories grew in this region. The better known "Joaquin Chaverri Oxcart Factory" began business in 1902, and now creates the carts in many sizes, styles, and of course myriad's of colors. Nowadays it caters more to tourists than the Boyero's of yesterday, but the tradition of hand-painting each cart still holds true.

In recent years, artisans have taken a greater artistic license and have incorporated in their creations images of the lush tropical flora and fauna of Costa Rica. Nowadays, you can admire a pretty purple orchid, the Costa Rican national flower, repeated like a mosaic on the surface of the oxcart; or you can feast your eyes on a sophisticated toucan or macaw perched atop green branches or peeking from a corner of a brightly painted wood panel.

Finally in 1988 the oxcart became much more than an old means of transportation. On March 22 of that year the government of Costa Rica officially recognized the significance of "La Carreta", and designated it a National Labor Symbol.

The smaller replicas of our famous Costa Rican oxcarts are a real temptation for many tourists who, in many cases cannot resist going home empty-handed, perhaps never knowing the historical significance and the outstanding contribution that the real oxcart along with the oxen and the boyero, the man in charge of both, have made to this nation.

This article is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Víctor Manuel Arce, farmer and boyero from San Isidro de Heredia. Ana is a native Costarrican who has lived in the USA for 20 years, and has now moved back to Costa Rica full time, along with her husband, Steve Brown.

© El Residente ARCR Administración S.A. San José, Costa Rica N.B. Like all information on the internet, this article may currently be incorrect or out of date.