Costa Rica was not among the countries profiled in Lindsey Galloway’s bbc.com travel article posted July 2, 2018, which began: “Global influence is often measured by military, political or economic might, but for some countries, it’s the strength of the culture – its food, fashion or entertainment – that most strongly impacts the wider world.”

Costa Rica’s exclusion then from the top-ranked “culturally influential” countries can only be because of the global measurement scale in relation to older and larger European competitors. We still have some catching up to do when it comes to undiscovered wonders beyond wildlife-dwelling oceans, mountains and rainforests. But as more well-kept secrets are revealed to greater numbers of international visitors and expats every year, the word will spread further afield that this is a culturally rich country, as well as naturally endowed. 

Photos by Perry Carlile

It’s astonishing how many articles come up when “culture” and “creativity” are paired in the Google search bar. Clearly, these two sides of the same coin keep generating extensive research in disciplines ranging from education and psychology to business administration.
Meanwhile, Howler continues doing our part to bring Tico culture to the world. With the people of Costa Rica being our central theme in Howler’s e-magazine this month, we shine a special spotlight on some fascinating faces of culture and creativity: artists and indigenous artisans, musicians and others in the entertainment field. We also sample the time-honored traditions being carried on by today’s generation of cowboys, coffee producers and salt harvesters.

In fact, it’s a tradition in itself for Howler to feature this kind of content in our magazine. There has never been any shortage of Costa Rican stories in the realm of arts, culture and entertainment. That’s why every issue includes a dedicated section, fittingly named as such: ACE for short. 

It’s the personalities at the center of these stories that make them so captivating and inspiring. You’ll find dozens more online, which we encourage you to check out by clicking ACE.

If you miss meeting the people…you miss Costa Rica’s best asset.

For all of Costa Rica’s attractions, the one that remains to top of people’s observation are the people. Each interaction with people can vary from person to person.

You can visit all the attractions, see wildlife and surf, but if you don’t take the time to meet and get to know the people, you’ve missed out on the precious understanding of what really makes Costa Rica a desirable place to visit, live and retire to.

Perry Carlile always captures “people” pictures. From cooking in the kitchen to the bullriding cowboy. He especially likes the innocence of the children. They express so much in the snapshots of their daily life.

You’ll see other photos in the skateboard and kid’s baseball articles in this edition of Howler.

The PEOPLE

of  Costa Rica

with JP  Boustany