Santa Bárbara: Marimba, Handicrafts and History

Santa Bárbara in Guanacaste is especially defined by its marimba culture: music, instrument making, and a street name all point to this tradition. A house more than 100 years old, a museum connected to the 19th century, cooking in clay ovens, and leather souvenirs offer further cultural points of interest. If you’re looking for a hotel in Santa Bárbara, these themes can help you choose what to explore based on your travel interests. As a starting point, consider whether you’re more interested in music and handicrafts or in the history of homes and everyday life.

Marimba: Music and Handicrafts

Marimba Orquesta Maribel is based in Santa Bárbara de Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, and was founded in 1956. Marimba musicians in Santa Bárbara make their own instruments. This brings together a named ensemble and the musicians’ own instrument making as two aspects of the area’s musical heritage. Paseo de la Marimba honors the marimba makers who work there. The ensemble, instrument making, and street name offer different ways to explore marimba culture: as a musical group, a craft practice, and a tribute to the makers in the name of a place.

House History, Museum, and Clay Ovens

At “La Casona y Zanja Negra” in Santa Bárbara, a visit to a house more than 100 years old is part of the spectacle. The visit makes the house a tangible historical point of reference for this activity. If you’d like to plan a visit to the house, check in advance whether it’s possible on your travel dates.

A 2022 report introduced a museum at Finca la Zanja Negra. It focused on the lives of Guanacastecos in the 19th century and displayed original, intact items belonging to the house’s first owner. It therefore centered both on a historical way of life and on items that belonged to a specific former owner.

A workshop at Finca la Zanja Negra, reported on in 2022, also included cooking in clay ovens. It offered a different focus from the museum’s historical perspective: the emphasis was on a practical method of cooking. The themes therefore differ clearly: the museum explored history and objects, while the workshop focused on cooking in clay ovens.

The historical perspective offered by the house and the museum’s exhibits also differ: the spectacle includes a visit to a house more than 100 years old, while the museum focused on the lives of Guanacastecos in the 19th century and items belonging to the house’s first owner. One is connected to a building, the other to a period and its objects. If either visit is a deciding factor for your trip, check in advance whether it’s possible to visit.

Leather Souvenirs and Local Businesses

Leather souvenirs are also available in Santa Bárbara. They’re offered by local businesses run by women who are also heads of household. This adds the local business context behind these souvenirs to the area’s connections with music and history. If you’re looking for a particular item, ask what’s currently available.

When choosing a hotel in Santa Bárbara, you can consider the cultural themes based on what interests you during your stay: marimba and instrument making, a visit related to the old house, the historical way of life featured in the museum, cooking in clay ovens, or leather souvenirs from local businesses. If you’re planning your stay around a particular visit or product, check in advance whether a visit is possible or whether the item is currently available.

Discover more destinations: Tilarán, Sierra, Tortugal, Garza, Guayabal, Panamá, Playa Flamingo, Naranjos Agrios

For the main travel overview: Guanacaste.