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How Do We Get To Boruca?

How Do We Get To Boruca? South Pacific Costa Rica, indigenous culture

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

Costa Rica: a destination for all budgets, Free Travel Guide #98

READ OUR LATEST EDITION ONLINE

Costa Rica: a destination for all budgets, Free Travel Guide #98

Dear audience, advertisers, and collaborators

We are excited to share this new digital edition with you. It is filled with engaging and valuable content that highlights the beauty and experiences of our cherished destination. Whether you call this paradise home or plan to visit, we aim to inspire and inform you.

As the rainy season approaches the South Pacific of Costa Rica, we enjoy sunny mornings followed by refreshing afternoon rains. The cooler days and lush greenery create a serene atmosphere. Imagine swaying in a hammock, surrounded by a vibrant wilderness, or drifting off to sleep to the soothing sounds of rain and ocean waves.

This time of year offers a unique opportunity to connect with nature and enjoy a quieter, more tranquil experience. We invite you to explore Costa Rica's South Pacific, where enticing offers on accommodations, adventures, and dining await you.

Surf in Costa Rica

In this edition, we present a variety of captivating articles. The organizing team behind our community's World Ocean Day celebration shares insights into this significant event, now in its fourth year.

For surf enthusiasts, Greg Gordon highlights why this region is a dream destination for the sport, particularly during the "green season."

The team at Fundación SOMOS proudly presents their newsletter, *SOMOS Conexión*, and we've included details on how you can subscribe to stay informed about their impactful work.

SOMOS Conexión

Architect José Guillén, CEO of ARTESANO, delves into the guarantees in construction project contracts in depth. His article stresses the importance of adhering to written agreements while upholding professional and ethical principles.

Additionally, environmental advocate Jack Ewing, known for his involvement in the Paso de la Danta project, provides an intriguing piece on witches' shoelaces.

We also address recent online misinformation suggesting that our destination is expensive for visitors. Concerned by this unfounded narrative, we've included an article debunking these claims and encourage you to share it on social media to help spread the truth.

LOVE VINE” OR “WITCHES’ SHOELACES

To those who haven't yet experienced the rainy season in Costa Rica's South Pacific, we extend a heartfelt invitation. From breathtaking landscapes to unforgettable adventures, your time here will be truly special. As always, we urge both visitors and residents to minimize their environmental impact and cherish this beautiful region responsibly.

Pura Vida,

The Editorial Team

The organizing team behind our community's World Ocean Day celebration shares insights into this significant event, now in its fourth year.

Celebración Dia del Océano Mercado Bahia Ballena

Ballena Tales is an essential free digital magazine and travel guide in Costa Rica, valid for travelers, residents, and investors covering Costa Ballena in the Canton of Osa in the South Pacific of Costa Rica. It is a fully bilingual, bi-monthly, and full-color digital magazine.

The magazine introduces the reader to the life of the local community, with interviews of pioneers, writers, and artists, as well as extensive information on restaurants, hotels, experiences, natural attractions, and wildlife of the Costa Rica South Pacific.

We are not just a magazine; each edition (print and digital) is linked to a robust web platform; the editions are published online, and the advertorials are included in our blog and the brand in the commercial directory. We also add links to the advertising company's website and social networks. At this time, the openings of digital publications in all their expressions exceed 80 thousand openings, and the advertised brands have a global reach.

We have a loyal audience of over 8,000 readers in the South Pacific's Costa Ballena region who will view your news in each printed edition.

We prioritize our readers' satisfaction by delivering a variety of engaging content while showcasing the value of our advertisers' brands.

Dare to Discover and Enjoy…

Check out…

Need help planning your next trip? Let us help you with your Costa Rica vacations!

Email: carlos@ballenatales.com
Phone: +(506) 8946 7134 

Follow the Roots ~ the Road to Boruca

 

boruca-entering-the-village-ballenatales-indigenous

By Susan Atkinson

Photo by Pam Capista

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the people living here in Costa Rica? Do you want to learn more of the folklore and traditions? Well, you can! A visit to the village of the indigenous Boruca is a very do-able day trip. You can see weaving and dyeing demonstrations as well as mask carving. There are two routes. Both require a 4WD vehicle.
You go south from Costa Ballena on the Costanera to Palmar Norte. Turn left on Hwy 2, head east approx.25 minutes/25 km, passing four bridges (the last being a long bridge over the Puerto Nuevo River).
A few minutes later, there is the sign “Territorio Indígena Boruca 8 km.” In the dry season, turn left here; this will take about 20 minutes and has beautiful ridge views. At the T-junction, turn on the lower left and go 50 meters to the museum, and park there.
During the wet season, do not turn off at the first sign, but continue north about 15-20 minutes/23 km more; having passed the right turn to San Vito, turn left at Térraba. After 10 minutes on this road, there is a Y-junction, with Flaco’s Bar on the right. Take the left fork. Continue on this road for about 20 minutes passing villages, you will come to a T-junction with a very small grocery store on the right.
Turn left and follow this road until you come to the museum with the stone sphere, then Marina’s rancho. She gives the demonstrations (in Spanish only). You can purchase woven and carved goods, but if you don’t, please leave a tip. t’s best to call beforehand (Marina (español ) 8780 8648 / Susan (English) 2200 5428); lunch is available for $10 per person. A bilingual guide to see the village is $15.

Milking of the Murex snail at Ventanas Beach

Why Costa Rica Jennifer N. Bacon 1 8449The Whale Resort at Osa PeninsulaVista Ballena Hotel Uvita, poolCosta Rica is the focusPost navigation Manu Prefab, New Building MethodsHumpbacks WhalesHumpbacks WhalesTotal traceability of your shipmentTangara Veranera Raúl VegaReptilandia Park heloderma 1 7463 Savegre Biosphere ReserveSierpe in Osa: Very Special for Sighting Wildlife!Birds and moreFrida is an owl moinkeyliving happily at the wildlife sanctuary

Milking of the Murex snail

Boruca people, 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.

Boruca people, milking of the murex snail

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.

Ventanas beach, Boruca people, milking of the murex snail

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.

Ballena Tales is an essential free digital magazine in Costa Rica, valid for travelers, residents, and investors covering Costa Ballena in the Canton of Osa in the South Pacific of Costa Rica. It is a fully bilingual, bi-monthly, and full-color digital magazine.

The magazine introduces the reader to the life of the local community, with interviews of pioneers, writers, and artists, as well as extensive information on restaurants, hotels, experiences, natural attractions, and wildlife of the South Pacific of Costa Rica.

We are not just a magazine; each edition (print and digital) is linked to a robust web platform; the editions are published online, and the advertorials are included in our blog and the brand in the commercial directory. We also add links to the advertising company's website and social networks. At this time, the openings of digital publications in all their expressions exceed 80 thousand openings, and the advertised brands have a global reach.

We have a loyal audience of over 8,000 readers in the South Pacific's Costa Ballena region who will view your news in each printed edition.

We prioritize our readers' satisfaction by delivering a variety of engaging content while showcasing the value of our advertisers' brands.

Dare to Discover and Enjoy…

Check out…

Need help planning your next trip? Let us help you with your Costa Rica vacations!

Email: carlos@ballenatales.com
Phone: +(506) 8946 7134 

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

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.

Boruca Art, the Colors of Nature

Boruca colors, puravida, costaballenalovers, ballenatales (1)

By Susie Atkinson – Ellen Hoël

Did you know that a great source for natural dyes can be found right in your own yard? Leaves, roots, nuts, flowers, barks, berries, lichen, and fungi are sources of natural colors.
Yellow, orange, blue, red, green, brown, and grey are all on the color pallet used for dyeing fabric or yarns.

The essential process of dyeing has changed little over time. Typically, the dye material is put in a pot of water and the yarns to be dyed are added to the pot with water, which is heated and stirred until the color is transferred.

Many natural dyes require the use of mordants to bind the dye to the textile fibers. The ones used by the Borucans are salt or lime/mandarin orange.

The examples in the photos are as follows.Orange is from the seeds of the achiote bush (Bixa orellana).
Yellow is from the rhizomes of the Turmeric plant (Curcuma longa) that is smashed and can become fixed and more vibrant with the addition of lime. Green is from the leaves of Gavilana (Neurolaena Lobata) that are boiled for several days to get the green color. Blue is from the leaves of Azul de Mata (Justicia tinctoria), similar to indigo.

These are just a few of the sources of the the colors of nature used by the Borucans. A more extensive list can be seen on their website.

If a trip to the village of Boruca isn’t an option, then visit the Boruca Gallery Gift Shop at Pacific Edge Cabins in Dominicalito.

InFo: tel: 2200 5428 – www.borucacostarica.org

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