Cartago
 
Founded in 1563, Cartago was the colonial capital of Costa Rica. Though it lost its political status in 1823, it remains the country's religious center and home of la Virgen de los Angeles, a small stone statue of the Virgin Mary with purported miraculous powers. A spring by the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles has been channeled into a fountain where the faithful pray and sprinkle their hands and heads with the healing water. A short stay in the Basilica will allow you to witness a practice that is relatively common in Latin American catholicism: the asking and keeping of "promesas". You may see people entering the Basilica on their knees and approaching the altar on their knees. If you go to the store behind the Basilica, you could buy a small metal representation of that which you are praying for so that when your prayer is answered, you can leave the object as a testament to the fact.