Page 2 - CAHUITA TOURIST GUIDE

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Introduction
Nestled in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, surrounded by a landscape of multiple contrasts and exuberant nature, the canton of Talamanca in Limón province is a standout destination with
two tourist centers: Cahuita and Puerto Viejo. It retains a strong attachment to Afro-Caribbean cultural traditions, with a unique lifestyle and incredible hospitality, in one of the most beautiful areas of the country.
It was at the dawn of the sixteenth century, in 1502, that Christopher Columbus first set foot in this territory, which history has enshrined as one of the most abundant in wealth and natural beauty in all of Costa Rica.
Columbus arrived at the island now known as Uvita, which the Indians called Quiribí.
The indigenous population in the area was mainly composed of the Bribri and Cabécar groups, who currently live in the southern part of the province.
The cultural profile of the people of Limón changed over time, with the arrival and later permanent settlement of various black communities from the Antilles who worked on the cultivation of cocoa, the construction of the railroad to the Atlantic or in banana production.
This new population took root throughout the region, retaining their ancestral customs as well as their language, food and music, which intermingled with the existing expressions of Costa Rican life.
Later, these Afro-Caribbean and indigenous groups were joined by a wave of Chinese immigration, joining them in this region with a favorable climate, landscape and an obvious potential for wealth. The resulting mixture of indigenous, European, Afro-Caribbean and Chinese cultures that have made Limón into a region full of cultural surprises.
Talamanca offers some of the best backdrops of multicolored beaches (white, brown, black, yellow and gray), picture-perfect parks and a unique culture with all its modes of expression, all of which can be taken in by tourists visiting the southern Caribbean. The region extends from Limón to the Panamanian border, with Puerto Limón serving as an important primary tourist center, stopover
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