Guests of Honor: Pianist sisters Sara and Gertrudis Feterman recently performed classical Costa Rican pieces at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) in Washington D.C. during an IADB concert series. They played works by Mozart, Grieg, Debussy, De Falla and Escalante Macaya, as well as traditional works from the northwestern Guanacaste province by Héctor Zúñiga.

A hole was left in the art collection at the National Museum in San José after a 19 th -century piece called “ Casa de Campo ” by German artist Emilio Span was apparently stolen, according to a statement from the museum.

McKee Project Dinner and Dancing Night
Including raffle, silent auction to support the rescue and rehabilitation of homeless animals, 6:30 p.m., Jacó Taco, Jacó, Info: 643-5333.

Dance Show
By Grupo Inspiraciones Folclóricas, 8 p.m., Teatro de la Danza, National Culture Center (CENAC), San José, Ave. 3/5, Calle 11/15. Info: 221-2154.

Mike Faulk
Tico Times Staff | editorial@ticotimes.net

Our Lady of the Angels Day is Thursday, and for about 2 million people, a pilgrimage by foot to the eastern province of Cartago is under way to honor the country's patron saint.

According to popular belief, La Negrita was found in Cartago in 1635 by a young girl, and she reappeared several times in the same spot, despite being moved. Many people attribute miraculous healing power to this statue of the Virgin Mary and make the annual pilgrimage to thank her for their blessings during the year. This year marks the 225 th anniversary of La Virgen de los Angeles being named the country's patron saint.

The most popular starting point for the pilgrimage is in San José, about 22 kilometers from Cartago, beginning on Avenida Central and heading east to Costa Rica Highway 2. The walk takes pilgrims through parks and business districts at first, then out to the hot but scenic mountain highway for the duration of the hike.

As this reporter learned Saturday, the walk can be painful for your feet, but a worthwhile cultural experience.

Those who go should bring sunscreen and bottled drinks, and it's important to wear good hiking shoes -- twisting highway shoulders made of gravel aren't the friendliest walking terrain. Cars come flying by pilgrims as if they weren't even there, so walkers should wear something that stands out and pay as much attention to the road as they do the rolling green scenery around it.

The rows of pilgrims get bigger as the path closes in on Cartago, all either marching without saying much or taking periodic rests under the shade of bus stops and store fronts. Despite the dust in their faces, rocks in their shoes and sweat-soaked clothes, everyone I met seemed cheery. Besides, who ever heard of a high maintenance pilgrim?

Coral reefs in the northern Pacific are in danger of disappearing because of algae that disrupts the food chain of the polyps that compose them, according to a study by researchers at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).

In some places in the northern Pacific, as much as 95% of coral has died because of these algae, scientifically known as caulerpa sertularioides, which compete with the delicate polyps for light and space. The Gulf of Papagayo is one of the areas that's been the most affected.

Environment and Energy Minister Roberto Dobles told Radio Monumental yesterday he's aware of the alarming results of the UCR study and that the challenge is now combating the spread of this invasive alga species.

Dobles said this will be a “difficult job” but that authorities are taking the advice of experts by beginning to manually extract algae during certain times of the year.

He said authorities are working on coordinated efforts in the tourism sector to establish navigation rules to avoid these algae spreading to other areas of the Pacific coast.

“Without appropriate actions, it will continue affecting ecosystems and the economy in general because of the effect on tourism and fishing,” he said.

This species of alga is present in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. It has the capacity to adapt to different environments and is easily carried by currents and boats to new waters.

The UCR study found that this species is not new along the Pacific coasts of the Americas; from 1988 to 1989 it caused all of the coral to disappear along part of the Panamanian coast.

-ACAN-EFE

A hole was left in the art collection at the National Museum in San José after a 19 th -century piece called “ Casa de Campo ” by German artist Emilio Span was apparently stolen, according to a statement from the museum.

The piece measured 20 centimeters tall by 25 centimeters wide and was surrounded by a dark gold frame. As its name implies, it depicts a house in a natural setting. It was on display alongside two other pieces: “La Niña,” by Francisco Zúñiga, and “ Paisaje Rural,” by Fausto Pacheco.

The painting has been missing since July 20, but its disappearance was not made public until the daily La Nación published an article on it Friday.

The museum has no idea how the painting, worth $8,000, could have disappeared, the daily reported. Museum guard Enrique Alvarado said he noticed it was missing on July 20 in the afternoon, after administrative workers had left, and he did not report this anomaly until the following Tuesday.

Museum authorities then asked the guard to go, unaccompanied, to the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) to file a report. The report he filed did not include the name of the painting or the artist who produced it.

OIJ is investigating the case “very seriously because the painting has patrimonial value... despite the way the case has been treated as if it were a box of cookies or a refrigerator that was stolen,” OIJ press chief Francisco Ruiz told La Nación.

The museum is asking anyone with information on the painting's disappearance to call 221-4429 or 291-3517. Officials have stepped up security by not allowing guests to enter with large bags, the statement said.

About 25 of Emilio Span's paintings are housed at the National Museum. The artist was born in January 1869 in Germany, and he arrived to Costa Rica in 1906, where he studied art. He completed his most well-known works during the 1930s, using a realist style with great detail.

Most of his works are of flowers, portraits and landscapes. He was inspired by Costa Rica's nature to paint a large quantity of orchids. He died here in 1944.