Juego de los Diablitos, Buenos Aires de Puntarenas

One of the most important Indigenous cultural traditions in Costa Rica

Buenos Aires

Afternoon

Dec, Jan

✦Local

About This Experience

The Juego de los Diablitos is a visceral annual ceremony where the Brunka people of Buenos Aires transform their streets into a living stage of resistance and ancestral memory. Masked performers in intricately carved wooden devil costumes engage in ritual combat with a bull, embodying their ancestors' defiance during Spanish conquest—a performance that blends theater, spirituality, and political assertion into a single breathtaking spectacle. The elaborate costumes, rhythmic movements, and charged atmosphere create an immersive encounter with indigenous pride that feels neither museum-bound nor diluted. This is not passive observation but participation in a centuries-old act of cultural survival and self-determination.

✓ indigenous-culture enthusiasts✓ ritual and ceremony photographers✓ history and resistance scholars✓ travelers seeking authentic cultural immersion

Explore all Seasonal Rituals

What makes it worth finding

✦

Deeply rooted in living tradition

✦

Exceptional sensory richness

✦

Living cultural archive

Plan Your Experience

You'll witness a multi-day theatrical mock battle where masked Brunka warriors in carved wooden devil costumes engage in ritual combat with a massive wooden bull frame, reenacting their ancestors' resistance to Spanish conquest. The experience is physically immersive and continuous—expect to follow the procession through village streets and homes over several days, with heavy consumption of chicha (fermented corn beverage) and traditional meals sustaining participants. Plan to arrive at either Boruca (December 30–January 2) or Rey Curré (late January or early February) and prepare for mountain switchbacks to access the Boruca territory, though Rey Curré sits directly on the paved Inter-American Highway.

How to Participate

Visitors are invited to follow the procession freely from house to house throughout the village during the festival dates. Entry to the territories is completely free with no formal registration required, though a voluntary photography fee of approximately $10 USD (₡5,000) is requested at the entry house if you wish to photograph participants.

Group FriendlyYes

Family FriendlyYes

Best Time to Visit

Attend Boruca December 30–January 2, or Rey Curré during the last Thursday of January or first weekend of February. Both dates offer the complete four-day ritual cycle with optimal community participation.

When to Experience

Twice annually: Boruca December 30–January 2, and Rey Curré on the last Thursday of January or first weekend of February. Each occurrence spans four days.

What to Expect

You will see hand-carved wooden devil masks featuring hyper-realistic animal features and aggressive expressions, crafted individually by each male warrior participant.
You will experience the four ritual phases over multiple days: La Nacencia (midnight awakening with conch shell and battle cries), the Bull's three-day rampage through homes, La Tumbazón (symbolic defeat of the warriors), and final resurrection and burning of the Bull frame.
You will participate in the continuous celebration with community members, consuming traditional chicha and sharing meals of pork, tamales, and wood-fired corn dishes.

Cultural Etiquette

✦Respect the sacred and ancestral nature of the ritual—this is a living ceremony of cultural survival and self-determination, not entertainment.
✦Follow the procession respectfully and be mindful of participants' physical space during mock battles and ceremonial moments.
✦If photographing, pay the requested voluntary $10 USD registration fee to support the indigenous reserve.

Photography

Photography is permitted with a requested voluntary registration fee of approximately $10 USD (₡5,000) paid at the entry house. This fee applies primarily to outside journalists, media crews, and tourists.

Who This Is For

Culture EnthusiastsIndigenous Heritage AdvocatesAnthropology TravelersSpiritual SeekersSlow Travelers