Cartago Province

Cartago Province is Costa Rica's displaced capital—the original colonial seat founded in 1563 that lost its primacy after the 1823 Battle of Ochomogo yet retained its spiritual significance. When Spanish conquistador Juan Vázquez de Coronado established Cartago in the cooler Central Highlands, he bet on volcanic soils and temperate climate for agricultural success. That bet came with costs: Irazú, Central America's highest active volcano at 3,432 meters, has erupted at least 23 times since 1723, destroying Cartago in its first recorded eruption and showering San José with ash during President Kennedy's 1963 state visit. No colonial buildings survive the repeated earthquakes and eruptions, yet the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles—containing the Black Madonna statue—draws millions on annual pilgrimage. The province now anchors the eastern edge of the Greater Metropolitan Area, its volcanic geology creating ideal conditions for coffee cultivation that helped build the coffee republic. From Irazú's summit on clear days, visitors see both oceans and most of national territory—a view that once made Cartago strategically vital, now makes it a daytrip destination.