Basilica of Our Lady of Angels
The Basilica of Our Lady of Angels is Roman Catholic, which is the national religion of Costa Rica. It is located in downtown Cartago and was built in 1639. Local legend says a little girl found a small statue of Mary holding baby Jesus on a rock by a stream. She took it home with her, but the next day it had disappeared. She found it again next to the stream where it originally was. She took the statue to a priest and told him what happened. The priest locked the statue up overnight, but the next morning it was back on the same rock next to the stream. Seeing this a sign that Mary wanted her home there, they decided to build the basiilica on the rock near the stream. Today, people collect, drink, and wash themselves with the water from the same stream.
Other Sights in Cartago
After visiting the Basilica, we ate at a little soda restaurant in downtown Cartago. It was cool to eat at a place where the locals eat. After that we drove back to San Jose!
About an hour after we left Cartago, the Turrialba Volcano erupted! The volcano is located about 22 miles from downtown Cartago and 36 miles from San Jose. The ash actually reached San Jose, and we could feel it getting in our eyes/face while walking down the street. We didn't find out that it had erupted until later when we seen it on the news. The volcano spewed ash about 1 km in the air, which was the biggest eruption in 20 years. For more information about the eruption, read this article about it. Click here to see some pictures of the eruption.