A cultural point of interest in Coyolar is the Bejuco basketry of Rosibel Montero Badilla; Casona La Gran Hacienda El Coyolar is located in the municipality. Casona La Gran Hacienda El Coyolar also points to the history of a former hacienda that extended across several provinces. This offers two distinct perspectives: the making and passing on of a craft, and the historical extent of a large estate.

Bejuco Basketry in Coyolar

Basket weaver Rosibel Montero Badilla is from Coyolar de Orotina in Alajuela and makes her crafts from Bejuco. Together with her husband, she obtains the material from the mountains and from a farm in the municipality of Coyolar. Rosibel and her husband also prepare the raw material for their baskets. This means the craft can be appreciated as more than just the finished piece: sourcing and preparing the material are also part of this cultural topic.

Passing on the skill is also part of the story. Rosibel taught her eldest daughter, Rosita, to weave baskets so that knowledge of the craft would be passed on. This gives the topic a concrete family connection and shows how a craft can be taught from one generation to the next. Those interested in cultural traditions can learn about the making and passing on of the craft, rather than seeing only the finished baskets.

In the municipality of Coyolar, baskets are used as decorations and for various purposes: as flowerpots, purses, egg holders, and fruit bowls. These examples combine decorative uses with items used in everyday life. They also show how many different ways baskets can be used within one place. The craft can therefore be understood both through working with Bejuco and through the different forms its products take.

When choosing a cultural travel theme, this focus makes the different aspects easy to distinguish: the material, its preparation, passing the craft on within a family, and how the baskets are used. These details give a concrete picture of the craft without reducing it to a single finished object.

The Hacienda’s History on a Larger Scale

Casona La Gran Hacienda El Coyolar stands on the grounds of the former La Gran Hacienda del Coyolar. This hacienda comprised more than 50 farms and extended across the provinces of Puntarenas, Alajuela, and San José. Its territory covered more than 20,000 hectares. At one time, it was considered the country’s largest latifundio and largest hacienda. The area of today’s Parque Nacional Carara was also part of its territory.

These figures convey a different scale from the story of basket weaving. The craft centers on materials, making, and use; the hacienda is about historical expansion across several provinces. Casona also belongs in this context, as it stands on the grounds of the former hacienda. The area of today’s Parque Nacional Carara should be understood as part of the territory at that time.

When choosing your trip based on cultural interests, you can consider the two topics separately: basketry offers a look at a specific local practice and how it is passed on, while the hacienda’s history provides a far-reaching historical context. Coyolar thus offers a focus on crafts as well as a window into a history whose geographical scope extended far beyond a single farm.

Discover more destinations: Orotina, Los Chiles, Pénjamo, Grifo Alto, Providencia, Florencia, Santa Rita, Poasito

For the broader travel overview: Alajuela.