Mandala design in the Costa Rica ox cart

This blog entry is especially written for my art colleagues.  The typical symbol of Costa Rica is the ox cart.  Before buses and trucks, coffee would travel for trade in ox carts.  Now they are decorative in nature, and are a symbol of Costa Rica’s cultural heritage.  We visited the Alfaro Factory in Sarchi, where the craftsmen make these carts by hand with the help of a water mill.   We were able to see several wood pieces at different stages in creation.  A gentleman was painting one of the ox carts, and told us that the painting would take a couple weeks to complete.  I was enthralled with the intricate decorations, and wondered out loud how he was able to keep such perfect symmetry with the execution of his design.  Hannah, one of our traveling students, told me that this was possible because it was a Mandala pattern.  She went on to explain how a portion of the design is created and then repeated over, and over so that the pattern is duplicated in a seamless manner.  Thanks to our great Art Department for that teachable moment!  A true cross-curricular moment :)