Billig leiebil Cartago - fra 9€/per dag

Cartago is the capital of the Cartago canton, which is part of the Cartago Province, and is divided into the Oriental and Occidental districts, as defined by Costa Rica's administrative divisions. From 1574 to 1824, it served as Costa Rica's capital.

According to Costa Rican tradition, the statue was discovered in 1635 by an indigenous girl. However, the only residents were black and mulatto slaves who resided in a settlement called La Puebla, distant from the white owners in Cartago. According to folklore, she carried the statue home numerous times, but it magically reappeared at its original location. The rock she discovered is currently housed in a backroom of the basilica and is treasured as a precious relic and source of inspiration. The rock is meant to be in the same spot where La Negrita was discovered, but it has been relocated as the basilica has been rebuilt. Pilgrims frequently touch the rock in reverence.

The Santiago Apóstol Parish Ruins are located approximately seven blocks west of the basilica on Cartago's Plaza Mayor. Despite their grandeur, they are not true ruins, but rather an incomplete structure that was severely damaged by the 1910 earthquake and subsequently abandoned. Cartago's government has designated 100 blocks as the city's "historical core." This is a method of preserving historical structures in the future, as many cities across the world have done. On the other hand, the municipal administration and JASEC (the firm that generates and distributes power to Cartago and neighboring regions) have been working to illuminate some of the city's most notable historical structures in order to draw residents and visitors to the city at night.

After a two-year repair, the former "Cuartel de la Ciudad," home of the municipal police, reopened as the new City Museum on April 24, 2010. It's two blocks north of the Plaza Mayor.