Touring a Carreta Factory in Sarchi, Costa Rica

Better late than never! It’s been around two months since I last updated my blog but I still want to share my fun travels from the summer! I’ve gained a few pounds and cut my hair since then, but that’s hardly relevant, is it? 😉

Carretas, simply known as oxcarts in English, are a significant part of Costa Rican history. Knowing this, we traveled from the country’s capital of San José to a village called “Sarchi” to visit the carreta factory “Eloy Alfaro”.

The factory was by no means gigantic, but it definitely captured the interests of myself, my friends Erika and Apeksha, and Erika’s mom Begoña. An added bonus is that they have a nice souvenir shop where you can get exquisite trinkets for your family and friends back home!

I enjoyed the vivid and festive designs of the carretas on display while we were there. In Sarchi, carretas are prominently showcased as the village is known for their beautiful and colorful carretas. It is also home to the biggest oxcart in the world!

At present, carretas serve an artistic and symbolic purpose. In the mid-19th century, its original use was to aid in the transport of goods like coffee beans and sugarcane. While carretas are no longer “necessary”, Eloy Alfaro helps ensure that their cultural worth is not forgotten.

It was interesting to observe the process of creating the parts needed to build carretas. While I am admittedly not the most inquisitive person when it comes to more mechanical matters, I enjoyed watching their water wheel at work.

We also observed a couple of artists painting designs on different parts of the carretas. As with most artistic pieces, painting a carreta requires a lot of concentration and I was truly impressed by their seemingly effortless brushwork.

Unfortunately, I don’t have high-resolution copies of me and my friends’ pictures at Sarchi, but we definitely enjoyed touring Eloy Alfaro. By going there, we understood why the carreta remains one of Costa Rica’s sources of pride.

Thank you, Erika and to your amazing mom Begoña, for sharing your culture with us. <3