Cartago
is a city in Costa Rica, about 25 km (15 miles) east of
the capital, San José. It is at an elevation of about
1435 m (some 4930 ft) above sea level on the Cartago River,
at the base of the Irazú Volcano. Cartago is the
capital of Cartago province. In 2003 the city had a population
of 141,524 people.
History
The Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los ÁngelesCartago
was founded in 1563 by Spanish conquistador Juan Vásquez
de Coronado, and was the first permanent Spanish settlement
in Costa Rica. It served as the capital of Costa Rica until
1823, when the first elected head of state, Juan Mora Fernández,
moved the capital to what was then the small village of
San José because Cartago wanted to unite the newly
independent province of Costa Rica to the colony of Mexico
while the rest of the population wanted to form a republic.
In 1723, a
volcanic eruption from the Irazu volcano destroyed Cartago.
The city was severely damaged by major earthquakes in 1822,
1841 and 1910. In 1963, another volcanic eruption badly
damaged the city, and covered San José and almost
all of the city's crops in ash.
Many pilgrims
come to Cartago annually, to visit the city's principal
church, the enormous Basilica de Nuestra Señora de
Los Ángeles, on the feast day of the Virgin of the
Angels (August 2). The church has a statue of the Black
Madonna known as La Negrita, who supposedly had great healing
powers. The sick come to her statue in hope of a miracle
from La Negrita.
According to
folklore in Costa Rica, La Negrita appeared to a young native
girl named Juana Pereira, in 1635. The rock where La Negrita
made her alleged appearance is kept in a backroom in the
basilica and is revered as a sacred relic and object of
inspiration. The rock is supposed to be in the same location
it was when La Negrita originally appeared, but it has been
moved as the basilica was rebuilt (see below). It is common
for pilgrims to touch the rock in reverence.
The central
park in Cartago includes the ruins of an earlier basilica.
The earlier basilica was destroyed several times by earthquakes,
the last time in 1910. As a result, the rebuilding of the
basilica in the same location was abandoned and the new
basilica was built to replace the old one several blocks
away.
The ruins of the old basilica in Cartago's central park.The
main products of the region are potatoes, onions, milk,
and orchids. These used to support more than 90% of the
city's economy although other resources such as computer
technologies have risen since the last decade.
The province
is known for its rich ecological diversity and dense tropical
rainforests along the mountain ranges near the Irazu and
Turrialba volcanoes.
Cartago is
home of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, one of the
most prestigious higher education institutions in the country
and one of Central America's most important engineering
schools.
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