Simbolico de Atenas

Festive painted wood and hand-tooled fringed leather decorates the horns of this stately Brahman ox, one of several spotted in the local oxcart parade in Atenas, Costa Rica.

Historically, Costa Ricans used oxcarts to transport coffee beans from the inland mountains down to the Pacific Coast. The old oxcart road became Highway 3, and passes directly through Atenas where this parade is held each year.

This painting, entitled “Simbolico de Atenas”, was selected as the front cover image of a new map of the region.