The fastest, most reliable Internet in Cartago can be found in the historic city of Costa Rica. Founded in 1563, it has come a long way since Costa Rica’s separation from Spain in 1821. Once the home of influential, affluent families and where governors and principal authorities resided, the areas socioeconomic growth was stifled during the Spanish domination and almost no physical evidence remains after many floods and earthquakes.

One thing that this city has, is a compelling history. The city was damaged by major earthquakes in 1822, 1841 and in 1910. Fifty-three years later, the Irazu Volcano erupted damaging parts of the agricultural areas surrounding the city. Cartago has been the capital of Costa Rica twice and is now the capital of Cartago province that is comprised of 11 districts. How is it that it could be the capital of the country two times?

According to the Pact of Concord of 1821, between 1822 and 1823 the capital rotated between Cartago, San José, Heredia and Alajuela. The first political statute named Cartago as the capital once again in 1823. However, a civil war coupled with a coalition of Alajuela and San José resulted in San José becoming the capital which was considered a larger and more developed city. Cartago was also the location of the first permanent court of International Law and the first international tribunal of Human Rights in world history, inaugurated in 1908 and later moved to San José in 1910 due to the earthquake. It is evident that the area has had its setbacks, but continues to thrive with today's fiber optic internet connectivity so instrumental in putting Cartago on the map.

With the best #Internet in Costa Rica, Cartago has varied accommodations from hotels to bed and breakfasts, lodges and hostels. It is a hub for outdoor activities, nature and historic culture. It may not be the first destination one thinks of in Costa Rica, but it is certainly well-visited. Itellum provides internet for hotels in the area making the city an accessible home base for the attractions in the surrounding area.

An annual event that puts Cartago on the map is the famous pilgrimage to La Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles (the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels) which happens every August. Legend has it that the image of the Virgin in the form of a small statue appeared to Juana Pereira, an indigenous woman of the area, in 1635, several times, so it was decided to build a memorial temple in the same place.

The small statue known as "La Negrita" attracts between over a million visitors to 2.5 million who walk from various areas of the country including some that come from other countries in Central America. The majority will make the walk from San José which is 22 kilometers or 13.7 miles. Also located nearby are the Ruins of Ujarras, Costa Rica’s oldest church built from 1575 to 1580. Although the ruins were destroyed by flood it remains a beautiful attraction with gardens enjoyed by both locals and tourists.

Just minutes from Cartago are the active volcanos of Irazú and Turrialba. Although the last eruption of Irazu was in 1994 and only lasted one day, it is still considered an active volcano and is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica at 11,260 feet (3,432 m). Of the several craters at the summit, one is an emerald green lake which is a popular attraction in the Irazú Volcano National Park which is approximately 5705 acres. Frequently visited by locals and tourists, one can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans from the highest point. Both wildlife and agriculture are abundant in the primary and secondary forests with armadillos, owls, rabbits, foxes, woodpeckers, and hummingbirds.

Irazú is the site of 83 telecommunications towers which serve major parts of the country. At a slightly lower elevation, the Turrialba Volcano is experiencing activity currently and has affected the surrounding area and much of the rest of the Central Valley. As a result, the surrounding Turrialba Volcano National Park has been forced to close to the general public due to safety concerns.

The Guayabo National Park and Monument outside of Turrialba is the largest archaeological site discovered to date in Costa Rica and thought to have been inhabited since 1000 BC. A visit to the site will uncover a network of stone-paved streets, round platforms which were the base for wooden structures, aqueducts, ponds, carved stone designs and drawings of animals. There are bridges, water tanks and homesites with petroglyphs estimated to be 3000 years old. Only a small portion of the site has been professionally excavated and archaeologically studied, hence the majority of the site is still shrouded in the mystery of its history.

Back in 1910 Charles Lankester came from England and began collecting orchids. Fourteen years later he bought a farm and created an area dedicated to orchids and other plants. His daughter inherited the farm and sold it to the University of Costa Rica (UCR) with the stipulation that it remain a botanical garden.

UCR developed a course on orchidology and today the gardens are home to over 3000 species of plants and take up 11 hectares or 27.2 acres. It has been redesignated a few times but the last designation by UCR was an epiphyte sanctuary. Lankester Botanical Garden is open to the public and is visited by people of all ages and is a world-class display of flowering epiphytes on display and in the wild.

The rich soil and temperate climate make the rural areas around Cartago a productive agricultural area. The area accounts for approximately 25% of Costa Rica’s agriculture and livestock with main crops being potatoes, onions, coffee, cauliflower, an assortment of other fruits and vegetables, dairy products and orchids. As with all towns and cities in Costa Rica, the farmers market in Costa Rica provides an excellent source of the local produce of the area.

One aspect that makes Cartago a cohesive city is its many festivals and local events that bring it’s people together. You can find anything from a vegan market with vegan produce, prepared food and environmentally-friendly products to live music concerts celebrating the 80’s to various types of workshops, sports events from cycling to soccer, Latino Dance Nights and business seminars. Of course, Cartago has its share of shopping destinations, one of which is the shopping mall Paseo Metrópoli with two levels housing 160 stores, a gymnasium and one level of movie theatres.

One may wonder what Turrialba has to do with the World Series. Rawlings Costa Rica, under the umbrella of Rawlings Sporting Goods Co. opened it’s doors in 1987 making official regulation baseballs for Major League Baseball games, the minor leagues and commercial distribution. Once a major source of income for families in the area with some 600 employees, it closed down its apparel division but continues to make baseballs. An interesting tidbit of information is that professional baseball balls must weigh no more than 5 ounces. have a circumference of 9 inches and a total of 108 red stitches. Rawlings Costa Rica produces close to 2.4 million baseballs a year.

With redundant quality Internet, another major employer of the area is La Lima Corporate Complex and Free Zone with 195 acres and over 20 acres of state-of-the-art technological infrastructure. Strategically located, it provides rapid access to San José and both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Hi-tech operations such as Edwards Life Sciences, Zollner Electronics and Heraeus Medical have large production facilities here that revel in the commercial grade #Internet that caters to businesses medium and large.

Famous for erupting volcanos and devastating earthquakes in it’s past and some in very recent history, Cartago has used technology to educate the population about these geological phenomena. No one wants to experience these occurrences first hand, but learning about them and how to react to them is of utmost importance. Magmatica is an unusual combination of a restaurant with an educational yet bone-chilling theme. The unique earthquake simulator gives the visitor the experience of what it feels like in a 6.4-magnitude earthquake and can simulate up to an 8.8 on the Richter scale. The 1910 earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4 and over 700 people were killed. Magmática was created to generate interest in the science that helps seismologists predict earthquakes.

The premise is to ensure that the population that could be affected can learn the most effective procedures to get to safety before an earthquake happens. A tour of the premises also includes interactive displays that familiarize you with the tropical wildlife of the country and how the tectonic energy has constructed the environment and natural landscape.

Superior #Internet is synonymous with the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, (Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica), also known as "ITCR" or “TEC”. TEC is the top public university specializing in engineering and science located in Cartago offering undergraduate and graduate studies in fields including engineering (construction, industrial production, electronics, industrial maintenance, biotechnology, mechatronics), computer science and business management. The school started in a small house in downtown Cartago and moved to the current main university campus with the assistance of a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank. There are also campuses in San Carlos, Alajuela, Limon and San Jose. The high caliber standard of Itellum’s Internet via 1:1 International Fiber Optics give the TEC the edge they need to supply students with the tools they need to excel. Itellum coins their service as being an “Internet Concierge”; offering their services from start to finish with a superior product as promised and delivered. This is extremely important to the university students that strive to develop and engineer their own products that reach beyond expectations. Recently two students from the School of Chemistry, and Mechatronics Engineering filed patent applications. Laura Hernández created a new method for detection and analysis of nitrates in water, while Arys Carrasquilla created a conductive sensor that is resistant to highly saline media that has superior durability beyond that which is currently available in the market. The sensor is unique because it has the capability of data transmission to the "cloud" for analysis by researchers globally. The mere fact that this is possible substantiates the importance of the best internet Costa Rica can be proud of, coupled with the best service and support made available by iTellum.