How Do We Get To Boruca?
Entrance to Boruca town by Dagmar Reinhard
Throughout the year, but especially in December, there are many events and festivals in the village of Boruca. The directions below will take you straight to this beautiful village where you can experience a world of art, culture, and history.
From San José, take the highway known as Autopista del Sol Route 27, exit Tárcoles - Jaco. Follow Highway 34 to Dominical and from there continue driving down the Coastal Highway to Palmar Sur, about one hour and 15 minutes.
When you reach the junction with Palmar, turn left, taking the Pan-American Highway toward Buenos Aires. After approximately 25km, you will see a sign on you left hand side indicating the town of Boruca.
It is a slightly steep road and requires a 4x4 vehicle. The uphill road is approximately 8km, and it offers a spectacular unobstructed view of the two valleys on either side; you will also admire the Térraba River and the Cordillera on the horizon. Nearest airport: Palmar Sur.
Read more information on Indigenous Culture:
Indigenous Culture in Costa Rica
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The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica’s South Pacific
~ by Luis Gutiérrez Galera
Surrounded by beautiful landscapes, the magnificent Pacific Ocean, and an invaluable archaeological treasure, the southern region of Costa Rica stands out as an area of amazing beauty and characteristics that do not exist in the rest of Central America.
Finca 6
This historic legacy is unique and unparalleled in the rest of the world.
In the county of Osa, some of the richest and most valuable pre-Columbian archaeological masterpieces remain.
The native indigenous settlements of Finca 6, El Silencio, Batambal, and Grijalba, in the Diquís subregion, are the best evidence that various ancestral societies developed for thousands of years in its territory. The extraordinary social, artistic, and technological organization of the first Costa Rican inhabitants is outstanding.
Sphericity and its relation to power and ethnic identity are the symbolic relations that are linked to this amazing pre-Columbian display, and the spheres’ sizes set the differences between each other. The bigger ones were placed in public and living areas, while the smaller ones were buried in tombs, and they also decorated statues.
Since they are considered unique in the world due to their perfection, sizes, and high technological level, so far it has been impossible to establish accurately which of the 5 ethnic groups that are still present in this territory is responsible for such a complex work of engineering.
However, based on all the research done, the Boruca group is number 1 on the experts’ list. What is definitely mind-blowing is the craftsmanship of these enigmatic societies, as well as their expertise in construction, and the creation of gold, ceramic, and stone ornaments that were used in religion, art, and as a symbol of their worldview.
In June, 2014, these four settlements were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because of their exceptional universal value; this boosts the beauty of the southern region of Costa Rica as a natural, cultural, and archaeological destination.
The Culture of Boruca
by Susie Atkinson – photos: Isabelle Aubin
Hidden within Costa Rica are different cultures and ethnic groups. There are eight indigenous groups in the country, and Costa Ballena’s closest community is the Borucans.
Boruca’s history has been extremely challenging as they live on a reserve high in the Talamanca Mountains.
Farming alone was not enough to sustain their tribe and people were experiencing extreme poverty. They were losing their pride quickly in their decaying culture.
With the completion of the Inter-American highway in the late 60’s, tourism began to trickle in with renewed interest in the annual ‘Fiesta de los Diablitos.’ This is when the local economy began to shift from agriculture to tourism. Daily life in Boruca now has changed to a focus on cultural preservation. Today eighty percent of the Borucans are artisans, either carvers or weavers.
The history and traditions of Borucan masks began hundreds of years ago. ‘Diablito’ masks, were originally created and worn with the intent to scare unwelcome invaders. When the Spaniards arrived with advanced weapons, the Borucans only had animal spirits to guide them. The conquistadores, seeing uncircumcised men with devilish looking masks, assumed that they worshipped the devil. The Borucan people were triumphant in keeping the Spanish from conquering their land and their spirit.
Every year since the Spanish Crusade, the annual ‘Danza de los Diablitos’, (December 30 to January 2,) has traditionally occurred in remembrance of the Borucans’ fierce resistance to colonization.
So, if you want to add that cultural experience to your Costa Rican trip, why not take a day trip to their village?
With advance notice, you can see demonstrations of weaving, dyeing, and carving. Also you can have lunch and a guided tour of the village (limited English spoken). Or view authentic carvings and weavings locally at the Borucan Gallery Gift Shop.
Christophe Gstalder: Boruca – A Vanishing Race and Culture
Christophe Gstalder photographer, Boruca – A Vanishing Race and Culture
“The most beautiful landscape of the Boruca community is the humbleness of its people”
I have never worked in my life! (Christophe´s passion for photography, does not allow him to call it work). He is originally from Marseille, France; he grew up traveling across the world with his father.
- [singlepic id=140 w=320 h=240 float=right]
20 years ago, he began working on his film “Los Diablitos – Por Encima De Las Nubes” (The Little Devils – Above the Clouds), a documentary about the Boruca Culture, their Traditions & People. The Film´s original soundtrack is directed by Christophe and Guillain Joncheray (Deep Forest.) Christophe´s sensibility, his respect for the ancient culture, and the beauty he sees in the Indigenous world through his camera, helped him to give birth to an incredibly beautiful 52-minutes documentary. “I did not expect anything different; it’s a true 100 % self-made film, during a long journey, without deadlines, with no producer demands, free as a bird, in a length that brings maturity of feelings …” he told us.
“I miss Costa Rica and my dear friends, anchored in my thoughts and heart. My mission in life is to complete this film. (If SIBU wants it… I think so! SIBU wants it!)
Christophe Gstalder is a notorious free-lance photographer for Fashion Magazines such as Marie-Claire, Elle, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and he recently visited Zanzibar (East Africa).
Christophe Gstalder photographer Facebook Page
Milking of the Murex snail at Ventanas Beach
Milking of the Murex snail
By Susie Atkinson and Ellen Hoel
The art of milking the Murex snail dates back to the 4th century B.C.
Cleopatra used that procedure to dye the sails of her boat purple with the intent of flattering Caesar. The gathering of those fluids is a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. The Murex snail discharges a milky-white secretion that changes color when exposed to air and light. This transformation begins with a shade of yellow, followed by a pastel green. Finally, under direct sunlight, it turns into a lovely shade of purple, also known as imperial purple.
The women of Boruca use this unique extract to dye the cotton yarn they will use in their weaving. During the waning moon, the Borucans make a memorable trip to the rockiest part of Ventanas beach in Costa Ballena in January and February, knowing that they will find the Murex snails hiding and mating along the rocks.
It is a dangerous and treacherous work to find and "milk" the snails. Doña Marina and others pull the snails off the slippery rocks at Ventanas beach. They proceed to blow on them very carefully to cause the snails to release the fluid, letting it drip over the yarn they are holding. This fluid cannot be stored; therefore, the yarn has to be dyed on site.
The Borucans are one of two indigenous groups remaining in the world that use this process. They preserve the life of these snails by returning them to the rocks after taking the fluid.
Doña Marina goes to the Farmers' Market in Uvita almost every Saturday morning. Her weavings and carved masks are also available at Pacific Edge Cabins in Dominicalito.
