On the way to do a bit of shopping in this 3 part tour, this was the last leg before returning to my accommodations. Previously I visited a charming local church and the photos are in the blog post immediately before this post on Sarchi. Sarchi is a city that lies on the slopes of Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range). It is at the Eastern edge of the Central Valley. Sarchi has also come to be referred to as the type of famous craft for the area. The unique woodworking pattern is recognized at the most famous craft center in all of Costa Rica. All kinds of items for the home are included from the kitchen to items for personal use such as jewelry and hair accessories.
Internet Location and Definition of Sarchi:
Sarchí is the capital city of the canton of Valverde Vega also known as Sarchí in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica.
Sarchí is Costa Rica's most famous crafts center. The town offers more than 200 stores and small family-operated woodworking factories producing wooden bowls and other tableware, fold-up rocking chairs of wood and leather, and a wide variety of kitschy items. The most popular items on sale are "carretas", elaborately painted oxcarts that traditionally carried coffee from the highlands down to the port on the Pacific coast.
The most famous item is the traditional painted oxcart that has been used in times past. Now the oxcarts are a part of history and culture. They can be found adorning homes, decorating the outsides of living areas, decorating public places, and being offered for sale in numerous sizes from the tiniest souvenir to the largest grand display to pack up and ship back home. I can only hope to have a large home to decorate one day to get a medium sized oxcart. You can still find the oxcart with 2 oxen tethered to it, but only for tourist purposes. I saw this and got to take a picture with the oxcart while petting 1 of the oxen at a different location at the very start of the 3-leg tour.
Below, I photographed a huge ox cart as a public display at a park and a small portion of its massive wheel through the iron bars. The sign reads that the display is the biggest ox cart in the world! The colorful pattern is the traditional pattern of the ox cart and is used throughout many items designed in Sarchi by hand. That is a part of the appeal of the valuable hand made items. As a mark of beauty, the patterns are painted on other items throughout the park, such as, oh say...the trashcan!
Paintings in the pattern are hand applied to sitting areas to offer shade from the sun and cover from the rain. The chairs are available for sale in the same Sarchi pattern. These reminded me of adirondack chairs available in the USA for outdoor living. The shapes are very similar. I would love to have a pair of these chairs in a colorful outdoor patio in my future home. As an avid traveler and photographer, why would I not have these?
As a part of the tour, I got to see one of the famous Sarchi artists at work in the factory carving and crafting up some authentic Sarchi pieces. The gentleman even had a foam board of his persona on display used to craft up appeal to his designs. He has been working in Sarchi, on Sarchi for a lifetime! I photographed 2 tables that are reflecting some light. The lower table is visible to see the intricate pattern of different colored woods designed that way to appeal to the eye. It takes skill to learn to make this kind of art. I have never seen anything like it!
Here are other scenes I photographed walking around the Sarchi after my factory tour.
Finally, I photographed kitchen trays with vibrant parrots painted on that I did not have the room to pack and bring back. They would have looked lovely on my kitchen counters. Another piece I envied was a matching parrot table with several drawers. It looked similar to the famous ox cart in its shape.
Well I guess I will have to wait for the day I return to Costa Rica near the capital of San Jose to buy some more from Sarchi...!
Internet Location and Definition of Sarchi:
Sarchí is the capital city of the canton of Valverde Vega also known as Sarchí in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica.
Sarchí is Costa Rica's most famous crafts center. The town offers more than 200 stores and small family-operated woodworking factories producing wooden bowls and other tableware, fold-up rocking chairs of wood and leather, and a wide variety of kitschy items. The most popular items on sale are "carretas", elaborately painted oxcarts that traditionally carried coffee from the highlands down to the port on the Pacific coast.
The most famous item is the traditional painted oxcart that has been used in times past. Now the oxcarts are a part of history and culture. They can be found adorning homes, decorating the outsides of living areas, decorating public places, and being offered for sale in numerous sizes from the tiniest souvenir to the largest grand display to pack up and ship back home. I can only hope to have a large home to decorate one day to get a medium sized oxcart. You can still find the oxcart with 2 oxen tethered to it, but only for tourist purposes. I saw this and got to take a picture with the oxcart while petting 1 of the oxen at a different location at the very start of the 3-leg tour.
Below, I photographed a huge ox cart as a public display at a park and a small portion of its massive wheel through the iron bars. The sign reads that the display is the biggest ox cart in the world! The colorful pattern is the traditional pattern of the ox cart and is used throughout many items designed in Sarchi by hand. That is a part of the appeal of the valuable hand made items. As a mark of beauty, the patterns are painted on other items throughout the park, such as, oh say...the trashcan!
Paintings in the pattern are hand applied to sitting areas to offer shade from the sun and cover from the rain. The chairs are available for sale in the same Sarchi pattern. These reminded me of adirondack chairs available in the USA for outdoor living. The shapes are very similar. I would love to have a pair of these chairs in a colorful outdoor patio in my future home. As an avid traveler and photographer, why would I not have these?
As a part of the tour, I got to see one of the famous Sarchi artists at work in the factory carving and crafting up some authentic Sarchi pieces. The gentleman even had a foam board of his persona on display used to craft up appeal to his designs. He has been working in Sarchi, on Sarchi for a lifetime! I photographed 2 tables that are reflecting some light. The lower table is visible to see the intricate pattern of different colored woods designed that way to appeal to the eye. It takes skill to learn to make this kind of art. I have never seen anything like it!
Here are other scenes I photographed walking around the Sarchi after my factory tour.
Finally, I photographed kitchen trays with vibrant parrots painted on that I did not have the room to pack and bring back. They would have looked lovely on my kitchen counters. Another piece I envied was a matching parrot table with several drawers. It looked similar to the famous ox cart in its shape.
Well I guess I will have to wait for the day I return to Costa Rica near the capital of San Jose to buy some more from Sarchi...!
