Costa Rica Ox Cart Wheel Carreta Clock Gift

A great gift for the Tico, or Costa Rican aficionado, in your life. Ox Carts are another beautiful national tradition and treasure of Costa Rica. Dating from the mid-nineteenth century, oxcarts were used to transport coffee beans from Costa Rica's central valley over the mountains to Puntarenas on the Pacific coast, a journey requiring ten to fifteen days. The tradition of painting and decorating oxcarts started in the early twentieth century. Originally, each region of Costa Rica had its own particular design. By the beginning of the twentieth century, flowers, faces and miniature landscapes began to appear beside patterns of pointed stars, and to this day annual contests reward the most creative artists in this tradition.