Costa Rican OxCart

My 4th graders created these fun and colorful carts for our Tropical Rainforest Unit.

Inspiration

The traditional oxcart, or carreta,is Costa Rica’s most famous type of craft. 

From the mid-nineteenth century, oxcarts were used to transport coffee beans from Costa Rica’s central valley over the mountains to Puntarenas on the Pacific coast, a journey requiring ten to fifteen days. The oxcarts used spokeless wheels, a hybrid between the disc used by the Aztec and the spoked wheel introduced by the Spanish, to cut through the mud without becoming bogged down. In many cases, oxcarts were a family's only means of transport and often served as a symbol of social status.  

The tradition of painting and decorating oxcarts started in the early twentieth century. 

Originally, each region of Costa Rica had its own particular design, enabling the identification of the driver’s origin by the painted patterns on the wheels. 

By the beginning of the twentieth century, flowers, faces and even miniature landscapes appeared beside patterns of pointed stars. Annual contests were arranged to reward the most creative artists and are still held today.

Each oxcart is designed to make its own ‘song’, a unique chime produced by a metal ring striking the hubnut of the wheel as the cart bumped along. Once the oxcart had become a source of individual pride, greater care was taken in their construction, and the best-quality woods were selected to make the best sounds.

Creative Process

Step 1 
Students create from painted paper, a rectangle shape for the main part of the cart as well as a circle for the wheel.

Step 2
Divide the body of the cart into sections with pencil then add a strips of paper for decoration. Outline with sharpie all the pencil designs.

Step 3 
Fill patterns with bright colored oil pastels. If time allows add fun sequins and adornments to complete your cart.

The students really enjoyed creating their patterned ox carts. I had many comment how much fun they had making these!

Materials

Painted Paper - 6 x 12 inches for body of cart

4 inch square paper for wheel shape

strips of paper

glue

pencil

black sharpies

oil pastels

Laura

Information of Oxcart from the http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/12lac_uk.htm