The Ujarrás ruins are preserved in a beautiful park area. The crumbling ruins have a particularly interesting history as well, beginning way back in 1693. The village had a renowned carving of the Virgin Mary that had been found miraculously and… well, sort of refused to move from where it was found. When a band of pirates led by Henry Morgan and Eduard Mansvelt made their way inland and tried to sack the village, they took to their heels after only a brief attempt to take over the village. This victory was attributed to the virgin statue, and the temple was built around her. The region was hit with a flood, earthquakes, and disease outbreaks, which totaled the temple and caused people to flee. The Virgin statue was moved to the church of Paraíso, and people make a yearly pilgrimage in April to return her briefly to where she was found at the old ruins. Some of the photos (particularly the ones of the crowds and masked terrors) are from one of these pilgrimages I tagged along for. The ruins are a beautiful place to explore and rest for a while.
Two beautiful public parks overlooking the valley with breathtaking views are nice to stop at as well – the Orosi overlook and Ujarrás overlook. In these photo albums of the Orosi valley route, by the way, I’ve combined photographs from the several times I’ve traveled it – by car, bus, and bicycle – and at different seasons throughout the year. I highly recommend it.