Page 30 - NORTHERN GUANACASTE TOURIST GUIDE

Landmark buildings of Bagaces Return to map
Cañas Central Church
Bagaces
Casa de la Cultura
The building of the
Casa de la Cultura of
Bagaces was declared of Historical and Architectural Interest, according to Executive Decree No. 17988-C, published in Issue No. 7 of La Gaceta No. 33 of February 17, 1988, of state character.
The old Rafael Yglesias School in the city of Bagaces, Guanacaste, is an architectural work that is representative of the rural school infrastructure, typical of the architecture of the 1930s.
The Cultural Management Office is located in this building and is supervised by Nicolás Guevara, cultural manager of the Municipality of Bagaces. This program, which promotes the artistic and cultural development of the canton of Bagaces, has hosted activities such as photo galleries, rap battles, history talks, literary meetings, artistic and cultural workshops, among others.
The Guanacaste quijongo
Bagaces is the land of quijongueros.
The quijongo guanacasteco is an arched instrument of African heritage
composed of a wooden stick, a wire that works as a string, a jícara that resonates and a small wire that is plucked to emit the sound.
Bagaces has been home to this traditional and characteristic instrument of the Guanacaste culture. Among its most renowned teachers we find Don Felipe Quirós Quirós (+) and Eulalio Guadamuz, who were significant pillars for the creation of the “Teaching Guide for the construction and use of the quijongo guanacasteco”.
The catholic church of the canton of Cañas, Guanacaste, amazes visitors from Costa Rica and abroad with its multicolored mosaic facade. Located on the east side of the Central Park.
The church was decorated with tiles in a mural designed by Otto Apuy.
Otto Apuy is one of Costa Rica’s most recognized artists. He participates in what seems to be almost all artistic media (sculpture, painting, drawing and, as you will see below, mosaics).
The façade and the multicolored tower of the church of Cañas were made with the trecandis technique. It consists of breaking the ceramic blocks and then using the pieces to create a work of art based on a design – in this case, an abstract one.
Apuy and a group of collaborators restored an area of 40 square meters corresponding to a section of the façade and the church tower.
To give shape to his creation, the artist used 80,000 ceramic fragments in colors such as white, blue, green and brown.
“The mosaic is a material that refracts light. As the direction of the sunlight changes throughout the day, the people who observe the work will perceive different visual effects depending on the time of day,” explained the artist. Abstract and geometric shapes in the design of the work enhance the visual games that delight the viewer.
More information here
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