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here) in San José. The story goes that a noted European opera company was on a Latin American tour but declined to perform in Costa Rica for lack of a suitable hall. Immediately, the coffee elite put a special cultural tax on coffee exports for the construction of a world-class theater. The Teatro Nacional is now the premier venue for plays, opera, performances by the national symphony orchestra, ballet, poetry readings and various other cultural events. It is also an architectural feature and a landmark in any city tour of San José.

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Visual Arts

The visual arts in Costa Rica first took on a national character in the 1920s, when Teodórico Quirós, Fausto Pacheco and their contemporaries began painting landscapes that differed from traditional European styles, depicting the rolling hills and lush forest of Costa Rican countryside, often sprinkled with characteristic adobe houses.

See a stunning and comprehensive visual database on Central American contemporary art at the Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo website (www.madc.ac.cr).

The contemporary scene is more varied and it is difficult to define a unique Tico style. Several individual artists have garnered acclaim for their work, including the magical realism of Isidro Con Wong, the surreal paintings and primitive engravings of Francisco Amighetti, and the mystical female figures painted by Rafa Fernández. Other artists incorporate a variety of themes in a range of media, from painting and sculpture to video and site-specific installations. The Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo (Click here) in San José is the top place to see this type of work and its permanent collection is a great primer.

Many art galleries are geared toward tourists and specialize in ‘tropical art’ (for lack of an official description): brightly colored, whimsical folk paintings depicting flora and fauna that evoke the work of French artist Henri Rousseau.

Folk art and handicrafts are not as widely produced or readily available as in other Central American countries. However, the dedicated souvenir hunter will have no problem finding the colorful Sarchí oxcarts (Click here) that have become a symbol of Costa Rica. Indigenous crafts, which include intricately carved and painted masks as well as handwoven bags and linens, are also widely available.

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Film

Although Costa Rica does not have a prominent film industry, in 2010 director Paz Fabrega won the coveted VPRO Tiger award at the Rotterdam Film Festival for Agua fría de mar (Cold Water of the Sea), a story of a young couple and a seven-year-old girl from contrasting social backgrounds who spend Christmas together along the Pacific coast.

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Music & Dance

The mix of cultures in Costa Rica has resulted in a lively music scene, incorporating elements from North and South America and the Caribbean islands. Popular dance music includes Latin dances, such as salsa, merengue, bolero and cumbia.

One Tico salsa group that has made a significant name for itself at a regional level is Los Brillanticos, who once shared the stage with Cuban legend Celia Cruz during a tour stop she made in San José. Timbaleo is a salsa orchestra founded by Ramsés Araya, who became famous as the drummer for Panamanian salsa superstar Rubén Blades. Taboga Band is another long-standing Costa Rican group that plays jazz-influenced salsa and merengue music.

Follow current events in Costa Rica at the website of the top daily, La Nación, at www.nacion.com.

San José features a regular lineup of domestic and international rock, folk and hip-hop artists, but you’ll find that the regional sounds are equally vibrant, featuring their own special rhythms, instruments and styles. For instance, the Península de Nicoya has a rich musical history, most of it made with guitars, maracas and marimbas. The traditional sound on the Caribbean coast is calypso, which has roots in the Afro-Carib slave culture. Also check out Costa Rican–born Chavela Vargas (1919–), a folkloric singer with a hauntingly