It All Started In The Beginning
The terrain of Etlingera Farms, and Bella Vista in general is rich in historic value with stories, folklore, and pre-columbian artifacts. In the more recent past, perhaps as recently as the 1960's the hillsides around Bella Vista had a significant population of native Indian members of the Talamanca tribe, also known as the Bribri people. Although nearly extinct in Costa Rica, there are still a few small pockets in and around Limón, who are the original gods and goddesses of sustainability. Much of the agricultural and aquaponic science practiced around the Caribbean zone today comes from knowledge passed down to us by Brebri leyendas that have survived the ages.
It has been brought to our attention a number of times that Etlingera Farms was once used as a sort of a Shaman training encampment and has been blessed by the Awa, a sacred Bribri healer, with mystical powers.
As the original skeptic from skeptisia, I used to discount these types of Costa Rican stories which involve witchcraft and other unexplained magic; Especially when these stories might involve us. But, as time passes, even I have slowly become a believer. There just can be no other explanation for why we can grow pasture, and our neighbors can't. Or, why our bananas taste better than everybody else s from the area. Or, why our property is so beautiful. It seems like no matter how much we neglect it, Etlingera Farms are infinitely forgiving. I no longer question these things. If a local, with no vested interest, comes by a few months after we moved here, and tells us that our place was blessed by a Bribri Shaman, who are we to question it? We have now heard this enough times that we just accept this intangible amenity as fact.
But, obviously, we didn't acquire this farm from the Bribri. As far as I know, I have never seen a Talamanca Indian. Their numbers in Costa Rica are very limited, and they are dwindling. They tend to live in less populated areas than what Bella Vista has become. Perhaps for the Bribri, the growth of Ruta 32 and cities like Guápiles have taken some of the magic out of the area. But, luckily for us, they have left some behind.