The Province of Cartago covers the southern part of the Central Valley and is located in the heart of Costa Rica. Together with the Province of San José they are the only two provinces of Costa Rica which share no borders with Nicaragua or Panama. The mountain range in the north of the Province of Cartago is called Cordillera Central and has two well known volcanoes: Irazu and Turialba. Cartago is home to several National Parks: Parque Nacional Volcan Irazu, Parque Nacional Volcan Turrialba, Parque Nacional Barbilla, Parque Nacional Tapanti and Parque Nacional Chirripo. The Province of Cartago was the first part of Costa Rica that was colonized by the Spanish invaders, who killed most of the native indigenous population in the process. The first Spanish settlement was named Cartago and was Costa Rica’s capitol until the middle of the nineteenth century. The history of the city of Cartago is one of disaster and perseverance. Several earthquakes, caused by the seismic activity of the Irazu volcano, destroyed the cities’ church, numerous times. Its ruins can still be visited and next to it you find the famous Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, home of Costa Rica’s patron saint and the destination of a yearly pilgrimage on the 2nd of August. In 1723 nearly the entire city was flattened. With the development of the Northern part of the Central Valley with cities as Heredia, Alajuela and later San Jose, the center of power shifted and Cartago lost its position as capitol of Costa Rica. The Irazu volcano offers a fascinating crater landscape and the emerald color lake is mesmerizing. In the south of the Province of Cartago the Parque Nacional Chirripo give hikers the chance to climb the highest peak in Costa Rica, Cerro Chirripo with an altitude of more than 3,700 meters. In the west, close the border with the Province of Limon is the Indigenous reserve of the Chirripo. Close to Turrialba you can visit the major archeological pre-Colombian site the National Guayabo Monument. Here you can visit the remains of Indigenous constructions roads, monticules, aqueducts and water basins. Archeologists have established that this 20 hectare site has been inhabited for almost 2,500 years from 1,000 BC to 1,400 AD. Although only a small part of the extensive site has been excavated so far, it offers a unique encounter with the amazing level of civil engineering and urban development of Costa Rica’s native indigenous population.