Love 'em or hate 'em, the controversial bullfights at Zapote, the heart of the annual year-end festivities there, are synonymous with New Year's in Costa Rica. Here…

The traditional Zapote Festival kicked off on Sunday; Tico-style bullfights are for many the main event, despite increasing disapproval of the practice. A survey by the National University's Institute for Social…

After a recovery period of over a year and a half, the famous toucan Grecia was relocated Wednesday to a new cage where the bird will be on…

Dozens of animal rights’ activists gathered Friday evening during the opening of the Zapote Festival, east of San José, to demonstrate against one of the celebration’s main…

In a sea of lights, carols and holiday shoppers, there's no doubt that Christmas is just about here in Costa Rica. But if you're new to the…

At 6 a.m. on Thursday Amelia Gómez glanced out her window in Playa Garza on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. Normally by this hour, the cattle gate would…

Each year in January, Ticos descend on the sleepy coffee town of Palmares, northwest of San José, for the country’s rowdiest fiesta. Palmares hosts a traditional Costa…

Encircled by a ring of several dozen young men, a woman in tight shorts wielding a yellow cape takes two determined steps towards an angry black bull.…

Fiestas de Zapote The final week of a Costa Rican year is a bipolar period – on the one hand, shops close their doors and employees take…