At Christmas time in Costa Rica, Nativity scenes, or portales, come in all different shapes and sizes, with just as many variations in the way they are…

As our Weekend Arts Spotlight celebrates its third anniversary, we take a look back at the first edition of the weekly series, published in 2015. The Tico…

Here’s how the story goes: In 1852, President Juan Rafael Mora Porras was about to receive delegates from Great Britain and the United States. Costa Rica was…

Costa Rica, lacking an army since 1948, doesn't have many war heroes. The most notable exception is Juan Santamaría, a poor drummer boy from Alajuela. Santamaría helped thwart…

All over the world, people frame their pictures. They take a work of art – a painting, a photo, even a diploma – and press it between…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DXrpDS0M3g Doña Flor Arguedas, 71, has been making tamales since she was 22. That was the year she got married. Her new mother-in-law told her, "Get ready.…

When I was growing up, faroles – the handmade lanterns meant to symbolize the 19th-century journey that brought the message of Central American independence to Costa Rica…

Updated from the original version published on Oct. 14, 2015. I come from dry places. I am relatively new at motherhood. I am relatively new to Costa…

Each year, Costa Rica’s Caribbean port town Limón throws a party on Aug. 31 to celebrate its vibrant Afro-Caribbean culture. The main event is a parade, which…

U.S. Ambassador S. Fitzgerald Haney announced that his government will contribute $38,500 to efforts to preserve Costa Rica’s world famous Diquis stone spheres. The donation will fund an…