Oro means gold in Spanish, so it's a fair guess — but that's not actually how Orotina got its name. The real story runs through a Chorotega chief, a centuries-old geographical mix-up, and a genuine gold rush that once played out just next door in San Mateo. Grab a gold pan and read on — you might just learn something about the ground under your own feet.

You've driven past those tracks in Orotina a hundred times — but do you know the story behind them? When the Ferrocarril al Pacífico reached town in 1902, it turned a small settlement into a bustling transportation hub, and helped set it on the path to becoming its own canton just six years later. Take a look at how the railroad helped build the Orotina we know today.