Legendary architecture
If Costa Rica has far fewer pre-Columbian sites than its neighbors, don't miss the legendary treasures that are hidden in the heart of its luxuriant nature and that are still far from having revealed all their secrets! Classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site, the pre-Columbian chieftaincy settlements of the Diquis are fascinating in every way. The 4 sites (Finca 6, Batambal, El Silencio and Grijalba-2), whose occupation can be dated between 500 and 1500, are composed in particular of artificial mounds, paved zones and funerary sites already testifying of an urbanism copied on the social organization of the civilizations of then. But the biggest wealth of these sites resides in the incredible megalithic spheres which they shelter. Also called bolas, these incredible structures, with the perfect roundness and being able to go from 0,7 to 2,57 m of diameter and to weigh up to 15 t, still remain a mystery for the researchers. Did they have a scientific function of help to the reading of the stars, as the aligned disposition of some of them could let us think? On the contrary, did they have a ritual meaning, arranged in an isolated way? Nobody knows!
Another fascinating Costa Rican site not to be missed: the Monumento Nacional Guayabo, the most important archaeological site of the country, whose construction most probably started in the 10th century. Partly covered by vegetation, the site reveals its treasures step by step. There, petroglyphs testifying to a great artistic mastery with these abstract or animal representations; here tombs with stone walls and funerary mounds; here again impressive stone cisterns and aqueducts, perfect symbols of an astonishing water engineering. But the site is above all the witness of a very codified urbanism. The entrance was made by a vast paved way (calzada) leading to two platforms or monticulos of rectangular form marking themselves the entry in the main spaces of the city. As in most pre-Columbian cities, life was organized around large plazas surrounded by stone steps that welcomed the population that came to attend the ritual ceremonies. These squares are themselves composed of circular monticulos (of which the vastest measures 30 m in diameter) on which were erected conical structures in bamboo with ritual function, or even zones of habitation. Research has shown that the houses of the time were circular in plan, with stone foundations, and most likely had wooden structures and thatched roofs (palm leaves, lianas...). Today, whether they belong to the Chorotegas, the Bribris or the Huetares, the indigenous peoples are defending more than ever their right to inhabit their lands and perpetuate their cultures and traditions. To learn more, visit the Centro Neotropico Sarapiquis with its museum of indigenous cultures, its pre-Columbian cemetery and its reconstruction of an indigenous village.
Colonial Costa Rica
The development of Costa Rica during the colonial period was extremely modest compared to the architectural and urban development that countries like Mexico or Peru experienced. However, many cities have preserved typical features of the Spanish colonization... starting with an urbanism characterized by a grid plan where avenidas and calles intersect at right angles, thus defining the barrios or housing areas, organized around different squares, the most important of which is the Plaza Mayor or Parque Central. It is generally in this main square that the great powers are grouped together, represented by the church - whose styles borrow from European influences, especially Renaissance and Baroque - and the town hall(ayuntamiento). The streets of the colonial cities are lined with elegant adobe or adobe houses, with bright white limed walls, contrasting with the bright red clay tiles of the roofs. Their large windows are, most often, protected by wrought iron grills, some of which are beautifully worked. Wood is also present in the balconies and courtyards, or in the doors with wings allowing a constant ventilation of the houses. This typically colonial urbanism can still be observed in the historic heart of the capital San José, as well as in Cartago, the first capital of the country, which also houses Las Ruinas de la Parroquia, ruins of a temple dedicated to Saint James erected in 1575, and which testify to a unique example of Romanesque influences in Costa Rica
The village of Ujarras also has interesting ruins, including those of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción, built between 1686 and 1693, whose facade is still visible, punctuated by niches and elegant arcades. To fully enjoy the old-fashioned charm of this colonial era, don't hesitate to walk through the streets of Heredia, nicknamed the "City of Flowers" with its Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (whose bells were imported from Cuzco!) overlooking the Parque Central; from the city's main square, you can see the "Cortes de la Concepción" (the "Cortes de la Concepción"); and from the city's main square, the "Cortes de la Concepción" (the "Cortes")) overlooking the Parque Central; Barva with its pretty little streets lined with adobe houses; Puerto Limon which preserves some beautiful colonial houses with elegant ornaments of wood and wrought iron; San Miguel de Escazu with its beautiful church with red dome; orosi, a small picturesque village with the amazing San José church whose adobe walls and wooden frame have resisted the assaults of time and earth; Nicoya, whose central square houses the San Blas church, made of adobe and one of the oldest in the country; and especially Liberia, nicknamed the Ciudad Blanca because of its houses built of white volcanic tuff. Astonishing!
Wind of renewal
Century of the Independence, the XIXth is also the one of the rise of the coffee culture. The Cafetaleros amassed immense fortunes and chose, to demonstrate this, to build sumptuous mansions. The latter are particularly visible in the Barrios Otoya and Amon in San José. Inspired by Victorian eclecticism, as well as the French and Caribbean styles that were very popular in Louisiana and the West Indies, these houses are full of stucco and plaster ornamentation, finely chiseled ironwork, hand-painted earthenware details, mantling and other painted and colored wood decorations. The Casa Amarillo with its yellow facade, the Casa Verde de Amon with its red pine wood and beautifully lit atrium with stained glass windows, and the Castillo Moro with its Moorish-inspired crenellated structure are some of the most beautiful examples of this architectural wealth. This surge of capital also allowed San José to be transformed into the country's capital. The city was modernized with street paving, electric lighting, and the installation of pipes and sewers. It also acquired some of its most beautiful buildings, influenced by the wave of neo styles, such as the Teatro Nacional. Legend has it that the Costa Rican notables took it as a real affront when the famous singer Adeline Patti, who was touring Central America at the time, did not deign to grace Costa Rica with her visit. Stung to the core, they decided to build the most sumptuous of theaters... that's why the Renaissance facade with marble and granite covering, the precious wood floors, and especially the vestibule inspired by Pompeian villas with decorations highlighted with gold leaf! The Catedral Metropolitana is neo-Byzantine with its beautiful dome, its imposing columns and its sumptuous stained glass. This eclecticism continues at the turn of the century as shown by the Edificio Correos, former post office, which impresses with its domes, square towers, pilasters and Corinthian columns.
In Cartago, it is impossible to miss the very Byzantine Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles with its aerial domes, its vast nave supported by a veritable forest of columns and its gilded or panelled decorations and capitals. Then gradually this eclecticism will be associated with the prowess of metal architecture. Each city had its own mercado, a large metal hall with bubbling alleys, while amazing buildings appeared, such as the Edificio Metalico, in the Parque España in San José. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, the building was designed and prefabricated in Belgium, shipped by boat and reassembled piece by piece in Costa Rica... just like the church in the village of Grecia, whose metallic silhouette contrasts surprisingly with its all-wood interior. Would you have imagined that some of the great Costa Rican meadows were dotted with authentic Swiss chalets and half-timbered farms? This is a far cry from the atmosphere of the traditional ranches, fincas and haciendas, large agricultural properties composed of several buildings protected by surrounding walls and of which the Casa Principal is the flagship building; the employees live in more modest dwellings, small casitas often built of wood and clay. A form of architectural segregation that was brought to its apogee by the United Fruit Company, a powerful American firm that controlled the banana trade. The city of Golfito, created ex-nihilo by the UFC in 1938, preserves the stigmata of this time with the Zona Americana or White Zone with beautiful white wooden houses then intended for the executives; the Zona Amarilla sheltering the modest houses painted in yellow of the employees; and finally the Zona Gris where the agricultural workers lodged in barracks of fortunes out of sheet metal and cinder blocks.. along the railroad line that was built to facilitate the transportation of the precious fruit, warehouses and other cuadrantes or makeshift housing developments still exist. In the capital, on the other hand, new faces of modernity are appearing. The influences of Art Deco and Bauhaus can be seen in the houses with simple geometric concrete volumes and decorative sobriety, or in buildings like the Temple of Music in Parque Morazan, inspired by the Temple of Love in Versailles. From the 1960s onwards, concrete lost its decorative finery to show itself in all its raw sobriety. In San José, towers and buildings with unprecedented shapes were erected. The Supreme Court of Justice and the glass and concrete tower of the Contraloria General de la República are among the witnesses of this brutalist modernism. And let's not forget the inverted concrete pyramid that today houses the College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica!
Contemporary challenges
From the 80's, facing the massive influx of tourists, the country launches into an unreasonable concrete development of a part of its coastline. In 1993, the government even gave its approval for the construction of the largest real estate project in Central America: the Gulf Papagayo in Bahia Culebra. 15,000 hotel rooms, a marina, 2 gulfs, luxurious residences... the launching of this pharaonic project led to the destruction of precious mangroves and pre-Columbian sites. Suspended, then resumed, this eventful construction site provoked a wave of indignation (just like certain current achievements, such as the URBN tower crushing the low San José of its 29 floors or the many residential complexes without soul which pullulate a little everywhere). But fortunately, many achievements came to counter these drifts by proposing structures in phase with the ecotourism. Their leitmotivs: to highlight local traditions (especially in terms of habitat, inspired by fishermen's houses on stilts, earth and straw houses in the countryside or the colorful creations of indigenous artisans) and to offer environmentally friendly hotels. The Lapa Rios Lodge with its 16 bungalows spread over 400 hectares of forest is one of the oldest in the country. Ronald Zürcher, a renowned Costa Rican architect, has been particularly successful in the creation of eco-lodges, notably in the luxury eco-complex Peninsula Papagayo. We owe him the decoration of the El Mangroove, the wooden structures reminiscent of the canopy of the surrounding forests of the Prieta Beach Club, or the Andaz Costa Rica Resort, whose wood and thatch structures are inspired as much by pre-Columbian cultures as by local wildlife. Numerous villa and residence projects also promote bioclimatic and organic architecture, as shown by the Casa Quetzalcóatl by the Barrio Vivo Costa Rica agency. Inspired by the earthbag Ecodomes invented by Iranian-American architect Nader Khalili, the house is made of adobe and reclaimed wood. Buried 50 cm in the ground, it is perfectly thermally insulated and even has rainwater recovery systems. An ecological success story that impresses with the dazzling whiteness of its domes. Adapting to the climate, abolishing the indoor/outdoor boundary, opting for green roofs or materials that integrate naturally with the environment, and favoring simple volumes and clear lines are the key words for the new buildings that are popping up all over the country. Things are also moving in San José, which now belongs to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Benjamin Garcia Saxe, winner of the 2010 World Architecture Festival for his sublime bamboo house called A Forrest for a Moon Dazzler, has designed the Gardenia residences in the Sabana Norte neighborhood. These 15 10-story buildings are authentic vertical green oases with virtuous energy management. Entre Nos Ateliers, on the other hand, won the Young Architects in Latin America competition in 2018 for its La Cueva de Luz (the Cave of Light) project, an elegant structure made of Chilean pine, light, open and lined with footbridges connecting the various cultural, creative and community spaces, built in the disadvantaged neighborhood of La Carpio. An architecture designed for all. Others choose to rehabilitate. Julian Mora prefers to "reuse rather than demolish" as shown by his rehabilitation of the Edificio Steinvorth, which now houses cafés and performance spaces. Don't miss the Casa Botanica, designed by botanist Christian Lesko, who transformed a group of Victorian houses in the Aranjuez district into a sublime artistic residence. And the capital is full of other treasures that this new generation of architects intends to restore to their former glory!
