One of the 1^st cities to be founded in Costa Rica's Central Valley was Ciudad de Garcimuñoz in March, 1561. A year later when the Spanish Crown appointed a new governor, Juan Vásquez de Coronado, he moved the city to El Guarco and renamed it Nueva Cartago (New Carthage.)

Cartago's FlagThe city was moved again twice more between 1562 and 1574: once to Mata Redonda and then back again to El Guarco, where it remained for good. Sometime in between it's name was shortened to Cartago. A coat of arms was also granted to the city by King Philip II of Spain in 1565.

Since it was one of the oldest cities on the Central Valley, the whole territory was practically under Cartago's rule; all the cultural, political and commercial activities of the Costa Rican Spanish province gravitated towards it.

Cartago's Coat of ArmsCartago also became a religious centre when a statue of a Black Madonna (called La Negrita by the locals) was said to have been found by an indigenous young girl on top of a rock, in 1635. According to the legend, the girl brought the small statue of the virgin home, but the day after it disappeared mysteriously and reappeared again on the same rock. The statue was said to have extraordinary healing powers and pilgrims started to visit it in hope of a miracle. Even to the present–day, religious people visit the Negrita once a year. It became the patron saint of Costa Rica and is known as Our Lady of the Angels.

When the Spanish provinces of Central America became independent, on September 15th 1821, the first Costa Rican provisional government was established in the « Very Noble and Very Loyal City of Cartago», title that had been granted by the Cortes (Spanish Parliament) previously in 1814.

Cartago city served as the first capital of Costa Rica until 1823, when «Republican» leader Gregorio José Ramirez moved the capital to the bigger city of San José, further north in the Central Valley. This was due to the fact that Cartago's local government wanted to unite the newly independent Province of Costa Rica to Iturbide's Mexican Empire, while San José and Alajuela's government supported a Republican system.

Cartago city has survived several major earthquakes: in 1822, 1841 and 1910. In 1963 the eruption of the Irazú volcano kept the Central Valley covered in ash for two years, although the agricultural areas surrounding Cartago city were severely affected, the city itself was not damaged.

Cartago City Landmarks

Parish of Santiago Apostol (Ruins of Cartago): The community started to build the church in the 1870's and then stopped. Construction restarted in 1904, but the 1910's earthquake caused the site to be definitely abandoned. The Ruins of Cartago, of roman style, are located in the city centre and are said to give some character to its city.Cartago Ruins

Our Lady of the Angels Basilica: Built in 1921, it houses a small shrine where the faithful go to worship Costa Rica's patron saint in hopes of a miracle. The church's architecture is a mixture of Roman, Arabic and Gothic styles, it has Italian floors and 32 stained–glass windows, originally brought from Germany, depicting the Virgin, the Heart of Jesus and the 15 Stations of the Cross.

Each year, starting several days before August 2^nd, Costa Ricans from all over the country make a pilgrimage from their homes to Our Lady of the Angels Basilica in Cartago as a sign of religious devotion: to fulfill a promise, to ask for help with health or financial problems, or to give thanks for prayers answered.

Colegio San Luis Gonzaga: This school was founded in 1842, it has produced various noteworthy Costa Rican political and professional figures. Several earthquakes destroyed the original premises, it was the 1910 earthquake that originated the move to the school's present–day location. The current building dates back to 1920, it evidences a neoclassical influence, and was declared of Historical and Architectural Interest in 1989. The facilities house a small museum featuring archeological, colonial furniture, scientific and ethnological collections.

Iglesia de Quircot: Declared a Relic of Historical–Cultural Interest in 1986, this small church is the oldest in the country: it was originally built in 1584 and has been renovated several times. It is a typical adobe construction, located in the community of Quircot, a few kilometres north of Cartago city. Quircot was already an indigenous settlement 500 years before Juan de Cavallón, the Spanish governor, arrived in 1560 to «pacify» the settlements in the area.

Cristo de Ochomogo: Located in Cerros de Ochomogo, this monument commemorates the Costa Ricans who died between March and April 1823, when the «Imperialists» who supported the union with Mexico's Iturbide Empire fought the «Republicans» who believed in a complete independence from other countries. After that confrontation Costa Rica's capital was moved to San José.