Within the list of days’ anniversaries in Costa Rica, April 19th, is maybe least interesting day of commemorating, of making remembrance and of celebration....
The "Juego de los Diablitos," or Little Devils' Game, brings the colorful masks of the Brunca people to life in a violent ceremony re-enacting a rejection of the Spanish conquistadors.
A shirtless man stands at the top of a gravel dirt road clutching a conch shell in both of his hands. He pushes the spiral shell to his mouth and it emits a deep, trumpeting call. The sound, which marks the beginning of the last day of the traditional Juego de los Diablitos, reverberates through the village
The moment tourists arrive at a Costa Rican airport, they see artifacts of the Boruca people: elaborately painted balsawood masks hang in the souvenir shops, sculpted like monsters, jaguars, and playful demons. Travelers stop, lean into those masks, and wonder, Now where did these come from?
