San Jose’s largest square is a lugubrious affair laid out in 1989 for the Hemispheric Summit. It is highlighted by a small cascade and a bronze statue of “Don Pepe” Figueres. It is well worth taking time to shop for homespun crafts and Guatemalan textiles in the tiny market that sits at the foot of the sloping plaza.

To the east, the castle-like, ochre-coloured Bellavista Fortress overshadows the plaza. Today, the fortress is home to the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, which traces the nation’s historical and cultural development using exhibits illustration topics that range from religion to geology and archaeology. A room dedicated to pre-Columbian gold and jade is the highlight.