No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveCrocodiles Run but Can’t Hide from Lagarteros

Crocodiles Run but Can’t Hide from Lagarteros

La lagarteada, or the crocodile hunt, is a 100-year-old tradition in the town of Ortega, located in northeast Santa Cruz in the northwestern province of Guanacaste.

Each year on Good Friday, people from this small town of dusty roads and sugarcane plantations travel to nearby rivers, tributaries of the TempisqueRiver, to trap the biggest crocodile and exhibit it in the town for all to see. On Easter, the animal is returned to its home, more or less unharmed.

In olden times, Ortega’s inhabitants believed that the grease of the animal had healing qualities. They hunted and killed the animals the Friday before Easter, believing that the occasion heightened the healing powers.

This year, the lagarteros, or crocodile hunters, began their search at CharcoRiver without any results. Then they moved to Las PalmasRiver, located in La Guinea, a small town of Filadelfia, where they finally trapped a meter-and-a-half-long crocodile after eight hours of work.

 

Trending Now

Former Costa Rican Minister Arrested for Drug Trafficking, Faces U.S. Extradition

Costa Rica’s judicial police arrested Celso Gamboa, a former security minister and Supreme Court judge, on Monday, following a U.S. request for his extradition...

Honduras Seizes $2 Million, Gold-Plated Pistols in Drug Raid

Honduran authorities struck a blow against drug cartels, seizing over $2 million in cash, war rifles, and flashy gold-plated pistols in Copán, a northwest...

Costa Rica’s Cutris Mining Bill Threatens Massive Environmental Damage

Costa Rica’s government is pushing a controversial bill that could open the entire Cutris district in San Carlos—848 square kilometers—to open-pit gold mining. The...

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Fishing, Wildlife, and History in Costa Rica’s Barra del Colorado

Costa Rica’s Barra del Colorado is a magical and charming town. It’s one of the country’s hidden gems, best known for its world-class sport...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica