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Where did Costa Rica's Rincon de La Vieja Volcano Get its Name?

Rincon de la Vieja Crater

There is a charming legend that explains the origin of the name Rincon de la Vieja. The native princess, Curabanda, fell in love with Mixcoac, chief of a neighboring enemy tribe. When her father, Curabande, learned of the affair, he captured Mixcoac and threw him into the crater of the volcano. Curabanda went to live on the side of the volcano and gave birth to a child. To allow the child to be with his father, she threw him into the volcano, too.


For the rest of her life, Curabanda lived near the crater and became a powerful healer. The people referred to her home as “Rincon de le Vieja,” meaning “the nook where the Old One lives.”