Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-22
COSTA RIGA.
SOME FACTS ABOUT ITS CAPITAL
AND GENERAL AFFAIRS.
a Government "Palacio'' and Cor
geous Hall of ofCongress-TheP Pres
ident Of Small Republic.


| Midway between the oceans, in cup-lik,
hollow of the mountains that environ it
lies this modern capital-here called Sar
Jose del Interior. A compact little city
tits, with narrow streets that are laid ou
at right angles and paved with small
sharp stones; its low roofs red-tiled and it:
windows iron-barred after the prevailing
fashion in all Hispano America.
The universal building material is
adobe, and every house is whitewashed
from caves to pavement, producing an ap-
pearance of cleanliness quite foreign to
this latitude. One misses the somber
picturesqueness that characterizes most Of
the Spanish cities in Central and South
America, but is reconciled to its absence
since the peculiar odor of death and decay
which hangs about ancient houses unre-
paired is also missing, together with much
of the fever-breeding filth with which
older cities TEEN.
San Jose is only about one hundred
years old-a mere infant compared to
many of its neighbors in this aged country.
1t has grown up since the independence of
| Central America, for Cartago was the seat
of government under the old Spanish do
minion. The latter city (only fifteen
miles distant, skirted by the Rio Cartago
and overshadowed by magnificent vol
cano of the same name) once boasted some
very handsome public buildings, dozen
fine churches and a population of 10000.
But the great earthquake of 1S4l destroyed
| nearly all the houses and every sanctuary
but one; little later, during the revolu-
| tion, the fires Of patriotism burned so fu-
riously that it was resolved to abolish
every memorial of colonial servitude and
| to establish new seat for the new gov
ernment at San Jose.
The local advantages of the two towns
are about equal, Cartago being nearest the
Atlantic, and San Jose nearest the Pacific
1t must be confessed, however, that the ru-
inous old capital, though by no means SO
comfortable an abiding place as the smarter
modern town, is far more interesting to the
tourist. Searching one day among her
musty records, [ found documents dating
back to 1898, proving it to have been
place of Importance even at that early day
Costa Rica, it will be remembered, was one
of the tirst-discoyered portions of the
American continent, Columbus having
touched its shores on his third voyage, and
Immediately after his fourth expedition
(l502) many Spaniards established them
selves here
Despite its air of newness, ambitious
little San Jose is not unattractive. The
patriots who built it seem to have had
an eye to republican simpli city," for
none of the structures show any grandeur
of architectural proportions, few of them
being more than one story in height.
But there are other reasons for this low
mindedness in architecture-not only that
| it is the universal taste of the people,
dating back to the days of the Moors,
whose blood flowed in the veins of their
ancestors-but because earthquakes as
well as patriots are opposed to lofty pre-
tensions. Slight shakings-up are of fire.
quent occurrence in the valley of San
Jose, but only once or twice in course of
a century has much mischief been wrought.
However, that is quite often enough. The
last earthquake Of consequence within
memory Of the oldest inhabitant, occurred
Just forty-eight years ago, when many
people were killed, hundreds of homes de-
molished and nearly every edifce in the
village considerably damaged. Were the
buildings of San Jose even a story taller,
the slightest fit of shakes would prove more
serious. The dozen or more structures
that depart from the one-story rule
are nervous eruptions, which none but
their ambitious owners care to inhabit.
This bright, young city of the Central
Andes--silent, industrious, modest and
| r1rn l.
"the Switzerland of the tropics" 1t
wears an heir of uncommon thrift and
well-to-do-atiyeness, especially for this lat
itude, where the warmth of eternal summer
inclines both man and beast to- "sweet
idleness." Most of the houses have CHIN
neys, and the windows have glass, unlike
the majority of the same class in this por-
tion of Central America-not only because
the atmosphere of this mountain valley Cat
an altitude of nearly 5000 feet is some
times chilly, but because the prosperous
people are anxiously struggling up to
within hailing distance Of the times. But
in the lowlands Of the terra caliense chin
neys would be a superfiuity, for nobody
needs fire in the house with the ther-
mometer perpetually skylarking above the
nineties; and for the same reason he OBJ
ijects to inclosing himself in conserva.
tory, when all the winds of Heaven are
welcome.
Here where the atmosphere is more in.
yigorating than that of the blazing coast
everybody is engaged in some sort Of bust
ness. Unlike most of the descendants o.
Castilian Dons and Hidalgos, many in thi:
portion of the world are neither TOO proud
nor lazy to trade or work, but all appear
to be animated by praiseworthy spirit
aiming at an independent livelihood
Ogershadowing the low roofs and breaking
through the red tiles, tufts of greenes
foliage are everywhere seen, limiting a
charming interiors and proving thai
within the whitewashed walls of every
casa is Moorish court or patio, with palm
trees, figs, bananas and pomegranates
fountain and flowers, and that inside th,
high-walled gardens behind the casas ar,
towering mango trees, whose luscious frui
fills the air with fragrance, the thick darl
leaves of the vegetable butter" tree, lines
oranges, olives and the glossy foliage o
the gayGba. Upon one hand rises the ex
tinct volcs no, Irazu, and frowning Cartagt
lifts its snow fields $4,000 feet above tn,
sea, while the encircling mountains of Sal
! nlSuel sweep tne HorlZon on every s1ue
their rugged outlines-rosy in the morn
ing, purple at MONDAY, amethyst at nigh
-reiecting every shifting cloud in cease
less changes of light and shadow. Be
tween these picturesque heights and tn,
town waves sea of unbroken green, enli
vened here and there by white-fowere,
coffee groves and fields of yellowish sugar
cane. In the potieras outside the suburb
herds of fine cattle are grazing and donkey
.. plod constantly through the streets, loade,
from head to tail with the produce of tn
farmers on its way to market, or carrying
to rural homes such articles of luxury an,
convenience as are brought to the countr
by the ships of England, Germany an
France, or are manufactured in the Amer
lean shops at Panama.
On starting out to "do" the capital of
country the first place Of interest is tn
, .Palacio' of the Government. The so
called Palace of San Jose is long, low two
storied building, of adobe faced with stone
red-tiled like the rest; and with oyerhang
! ing roof The exterior is sanded and CO.
ored in imitation of blue granite, an
though modelled by German it presents
cheerful Italian aspect in harmony wit
its Sl1rroundipoc opd tba oiouipo CIV tha