The Spanish colonizers brought the oxcarts to Costa Rica to be used on transportation and farm work, since 1840 oxcarts were used to transport coffee beans, sugar cane, corn and other goods from Costa Rica’s Central Valley over the mountains to the Pacific Coast port of Puntarenas or the Caribbean port of Limon for export.
Figure 1 Oxcart in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica Oxcarts are famous for their bright colors and rich decorations, the designs and colors in the decorations are based on Costa Rican plants and flowers. Oxcarts in Costa Rica are still strong symbols of the country’s rural past and still feature prominently in parades, festivals, and other celebrations.
Although trucks, tractors and other motorized vehicles have mostly replaced oxcarts in Costa Rica in everyday life, some farmers still stick to the old ways by using them during harvest season or when places are too rough for modern vehicles (Farley, 2018).
Farley, S. (2018). The Story Behind the Tradition of Oxcarts in Costa Rica. Retrieved March 26, 2019, from Webmaster website: https://www.guachipelin.com/2018/08/24/story-behind-tradition-oxcarts-costa-rica/
