La Sierra
From Wiki Costa Rica
La Sierra, ("Las Minas") is a district in Abangares. It is well known as the historical mining town of Costa Rica, located on the NW Pacific Region. It goes from an altitud of 210 meters to 1200 meters.
It is a mountainous zone with a variety of tempetures (from 34 centigrades to 5 centigrades) and climates (from dry forest to rain forest). To the north it borders Tilarán Canton, to the south San Juan de Abangares and Las Juntas District(SW), to the east Monteverde and to the west it borders Cañas Canton.
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Economy
The major activities are agriculture (Coffee and variety of Vegetable), Gold mining and Tourism.
Agriculture and mining are the most traditional activities and ways of living in the district. All over the highlands (San Rafael, Cebadilla, Campos de Oro, Cañitas, La Cruz and Tornos) small producers of coffee and vegetables are organized in cooperatives.
The Ecomuseum, the biodiversity, and the hot springs of Pueblo Antiguo Lodge and Spa are atracting tourism from all over the world to the district. La Sierra is a spot between Guanacaste and San José, and between Guanacaste and Monteverde. Little by little tourists start stopping on their ways and staying in La Sierra as middle point on their trip and using a non traditional touristic route, to overnight, to make canopy, to visit eco farms, to make historical walks on the Ecomuseum or just to chill on the hot springs of Pueblo Antiguo Lodge & Spa.
History and Mining
Oral history tells that the name of "La Sierra" its related to one of the first resources the town took advantage, the wood. The spanish word "sierra" means "saw". Residers developed sawmills by the time they knew about the valuable and precious woods they got.
Although, by the year 1900 the gold mining industry raised in Abangares but mostly in La Sierra, were the Abangares Gold Fields of Costa Rica own by Minor Cooper Keith, builded up the Stamp mill House, the Company Headquarters and the Powder House. The ore activity carried vast development. By that time people compared La Sierra develment with California (as well because the gold rush).
Mining Ecomuseum
In a sector of 38 hectares, a local government property is located the Ecomuseum. Managed by the committee of culture of the district and by the Management of Museums. Nowadays is very visited by foreign and national tourists those which enjoy knowing that here was one of the first mining centers in Central America and scene of legends and realities that the miners of the time lived. In the showroom, which was recent built, you can see graphic and documentary information, but most attractive is to traverse this Eco-Museum by its various paths to appreciate all the infrastructure which is still preserved and which leaves in the spirit of the visitors the interrogative of which was this scene during those years (1901-1931).
The conception “Ecomuseum” arises in France in the decade of the seventy, in Costa Rica it is adopted in the decade of the eighties when Ecomuseum Mines of Abangares was created. It’s an educational model of culture and sustainable development; it tries to integrate the inhabitants with rational use of resources and protection of its natural and cultural patrimony. The Eco-museum is being developed around the ruins of one of the oldest gold mines in the region where some of the old machinery, hand tools, and infrastructure can still be seen. The surrounding area is forested to a large extent and provides good opportunities for bird and butterfly watching and other nature observation. It is a community organization that conserves and transmits the local outstanding history and strengthens the identity of the towns. It is an expression whose inhabitants are contemplated in their daily chore and offers to visitors the opportunity to share their own distinctiveness.
In the year 2001 it was declare as Historical Architectonic Patrimony.
The Ecomuseum is located in an area that holds evidence of the biggest scale of gold mining in Costa Rica. Place where the Company “Abangares Gold Fields of Costa Rica” settled down. It contains an exhibition outdoors of mining machinery, paths that take you to the ruins of old stamp mill house “Edificio de los Mazos”, “Casa de la Pólvora”, etc, combine with great natural scenery. There is also a Tunnel right on a historical traverse where Tulita, the first vapor locomotive used to work with its wagons full of ore.
Villages
La Sierra is composed of fifteen villages:
- Aguas Claras
- Alto Cebadilla
- Campos de Oro
- Candelaria
- Cañitas
- Cruz
- Cuesta Yugo
- Dos de Abangares
- La Sierra
- Marsellesa
- San Antonio
- San Rafael
- Tornos
- Tres Amigos
- Turín (part)
External links
- Government and administration
- CCSS District Population, Health Region Abangares.
- Related Articles
- Pueblo Antiguo Lodge & Spa Abangares Ecomuseum History.
