Location

Villa Stephanie is located 20 minutes east from San Pedro Mall, 30 minutes east from downtown
San José Central Valley, Costa Rica.

Address: 1.85 miles East Sabanilla´s Christ on the rigth hand size black gate in brick colums.
Sign "Villa Stephane - Los Rubio", San Ramón de Tres Rios.

Copy and print the spanish version:

Dirección: 3km al este del Cristo de Sabanilla, Mano derecha, portón negro en columnas de ladrillo. Rótulo "Villa Stephanie - Los Rubios", San Ramón de Tres Rios.

General Information about Cartago Costa Rica

Climate: This interior province consists primarily of the Reventazón River valley and the surrounding high mountains to the north (Irazú and Turrialba Volcanoes) and south (Cerro de la Muerte and Mount Chirripó ) and is situated practically entirely on the Atlantic side of the continental divide. Therefore, the moisture brought in by the trade winds directly affects most of the province, although the city of Cartago itself is in the rain shadow of the 3,432 meter high Irazú Volcano and as a result is one of the driest parts of Costa Rica, after the lower portions of Guanacaste province. The overall high elevation of Cartago province and frequent cloud cover combine to impart relatively cool temperatures throughout the year.

History: The city of Cartago was first established in 1563 by the Spanish conquistador Juan Vásquez de Coronado. The original village was situated between the Coris and Purires Rivers , several kilometers to the southwest of the present day city. This location proved to be poorly chosen, however, since the settlement was flooded so often that it came to be known as the "City of Mud ," and in 1572 was transferred to another site closer to what is now San José.

About two years later, the population was again transferred back to the current site of the city of Cartago , which remained the capital of the province of Costa Rica throughout the colonial period. In 1823, two years after independence from Spain , the country's governmental seat was moved to San José and Cartago was left to develop as a provincial capital of the new republic.

When Vásquez de Coronado first explored the eastern end of the Central Valley he found an area populated by numerous indigenous groups, and thus the Spaniards set about the mission of christianizing the native peoples. The first church built in Costa Rica was constructed during the 1560's in the Valley of Ujarrás near the Reventazón River . The settlement was eventually abandoned, however, due to recurring floods and episodes of pestilence. The ruins of the church are still visible on the site and have been declared a national monument.