SAN JOSE 
5 
Extending in an east and west line in the heart of Costa 
Rica are the largest cities of the country. Beginning in the 
east stands Cartago, at an altitude of 4,760 feet. Between 
Cartago and San Jose, 13 miles apart, is the continental divide 
in the mountain range, which extends from northwest to south¬ 
east across the country. El Alto, 5,137 feet, is the highest 
point on the road. Cartago then lies east of the divide, while 
San Jose, Heredia, Alejuela, all connected by a modern high¬ 
way, are situated slightly lower on the western slope of the 
mountains. 
San Jose, about which we are more directly concerned, 
stands in a valley of 2,000 square kilometers, with mountains 
in the distance. The city’s altitude (3,868 feet) is about 1,000 
feet lower than Cartago. It is not an old city, the seat of 
government having been moved thither from Cartago in 1823. 
The latter, however, was founded by Juan Vazquez de Coro¬ 
nado in 1563. From that time onward Cartago was the seat 
of government; and in 1565 Coronach} was appointed governor 
of the town and of the country then known as Nueva Cartago. 
San Jose being located at the altitude of 3,868 feet above 
sea level is always agreeable. It is in a region of perpetual 
Springtime, where foliage and flowers are continually bri ght 
and abundant. 
Costa Rica, let us remember, is about half as large as the 
State of Pennsylvania, or 23,000 square miles; rail access from 
either the Atlantic or Pacific oceans lies through tropical and 
picturesque mountain scenery. The length of the railway that 
spans the country from ocean to ocean is 172 miles. The 
Limon-San Jose section is 104 miles; the Puntarenas-San Jose 
section is 68 miles. From either Atlantic or Pacific port to 
the capital the journey may be said to be, first, a tropical de¬ 
light; this is because both roads traverse miles of lowlands 
