Carretta's in Costa Rica
The traditional oxcart, or carreta, is a product of Costa Rica’s most famous craft. The Carretta dates from the mid-nineteenth century, these oxcarts were originally used to transport coffee beans from Costa Rica’s central valley over the mountains to Puntarenas on the Pacific coast, a journey which took anywhere from ten to fifteen days.
Oxcarts used spokeless wheels, a hybrid between the disc used by the Aztec and the spoked wheel introduced by the Spaniards, the purpose was to cut through the mud without getting stuck. In many cases, oxcarts were a family’s only means of transport; and they often served as a symbol of social status.
The tradition of painting and decorating oxcarts started in the early twentieth century. Originally, each region of Costa Rica had its own particular design, enabling the identification of the driver’s origin by the painted patterns on the wheels.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, flowers, faces, and miniature landscapes began to appear beside patterns of pointed stars, and to this day annual contests reward the most creative artists in this tradition.
Each oxcart is also designed to make its own ’song’, a unique chime produced by a metal ring striking the hubnut of the wheel as the cart bumps along. Once the oxcart had become a source of individual pride, greater care was taken in their construction, and the highest-quality woods were selected to make the best sounds.
Today’s colourful and richly decorated carretas bear little resemblance to the original rough-hewn, rectangular, cane framed vehicles covered by rawhide tarps. While in most regions of Costa Rica trucks and trains have replaced oxcarts as the main means of transport, the carretas remain a strong symbol of Costa Rica’s rural past, and are still featured prominently in parades and in religious and secular celebrations.
Since oxcarts have become obsolete as means of transport, there is a decreasing demand for them, which means that the number of artisans who possess the training to manufacture and decorate oxcarts has strongly declined over the past decades. This is the main reason why UNESCO has now included the Carreta as a part of the 'World Intangable Heritage".
My husband in the hat & our friend Hugo
Borrowed with permission from the UNESCO site
"Cultural heritage is not limited to material manifestations, such as monuments and objects that have been preserved over time. This notion also encompasses living expressions and the traditions that countless groups and communities worldwide have inherited from their ancestors and transmit to their descendants, in most cases orally."
My girlfriend Lisa & I ( My back is turned)
These photos were taken when we visited this UNESCO site. I also discovered that it took many years of research by UNESCO on the functions and values of cultural expressions and practices and as a result they have opened the door to new approaches to the understanding, protection and respect of the cultural heritage of humanity. This living heritage, known as intangible, provides each bearer of such expressions a sense of identity and continuity, insofar as he or she takes ownership of them and constantly recreates them.
As a driving force of cultural diversity, living heritage is very fragile. In recent years, it has received international recognition and its safeguarding has become one of the priorities of international cooperation thanks to UNESCO's leading role in the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage"http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?cp=CR
