Since this city was originally a stop-by place between the Aserrí and Barva valleys, San Jose's birth was a pretty modest one.
Generally, when settlers founded a city, important celebrations were held, including a mass in the new church, placing the foundation stone in the Town Council and giving the city an official name. However, unlike most cities conquered by colonists, the current capital city of Costa Rica was never founded.
By the XVII century, the province of Costa Rica consisted of two important villages only, namely Cartago (which was founded) and Espíritu Santo de Esparza.
Other villages, such as Aserri, Curridabá, Pacarca and Barva become popular some time later.
A few years later, in 1736, the authorities from the Town Council of Leon decided that a hermitage would be built in Boca del Monte de Curridaba since this place was centrally situated and had easy access for the inhabitants of Aserrí. Two years later the construction was completed.
The authorities of the church issued an order for the inhabitants of Aserri and other villages to move to the new site. Due to problems with lack of water in the area, they refused to follow such order until 1775, when Tomas Lopez del Corral, the Mayor of Catargo, decided to introduce financial penalty and even to impose corporal punishment.
Despite San Jose was never founded and inhabitants refused to move to the area during the first years, this is how the history of this especial city began once the hermitage was built in the Heart of Boca del Monte.
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