Jaris

About Jaris:

Jaris sits in the centre-west of Mora canton, about 7 km southwest of Ciudad Colón, the canton’s main town. It borders Piedras Negras to the northwest, Quitirrisí to the northeast, Guayabo to the southeast and Puriscal canton to the west. Two national roads cross the district, Ruta 239 between Ciudad Colón and Puriscal and Ruta 209, so from San José you take Ruta 27 to Ciudad Colón and then climb toward Puriscal. Off the main road, most streets are stone and steep. The municipality has been cementing some of them, Calle Naranjito among them, so the state of the road varies from one street to the next.

The district was created on 18 May 2012 by executive agreement, with Villa Jaris as its head town, after Mora’s council had approved the split from Colón in 2008. The village itself is far older and appears in the 1883 census with 166 inhabitants. Locals still argue over the name: some say it comes from the Río Jaris, which marks part of the boundary, others from a Huetar leader who once ran the area. Today about 1,450 people live here, most of them commuting to work in nearby towns, while the district raises pigs, produces eggs and keeps some farming going.

This is hilly country at around 830 metres, cut by the Río Jaris and the Río Tambor, with woodland on the hills and most homes on the flatter ground. Besides Villa Jaris, the district takes in hamlets such as Pito and Trapiches. The same slopes make it rally and motocross ground, with events for motorbikes and 4x4s built for mud. Walkers come for a loop of about 13 km that follows the Río Jaris past waterfalls to a set of abandoned mines, much of it in the riverbed itself.

Jaris keeps the cane and oxcart traditions closer than most of the Central Valley. The Valverde family’s trapiche in Villa Jaris still grinds cane, and oxen and carts are part of everyday work there. The Trapichada walks visitors through the whole cycle, from planting to the finished dulce, with music and food. The fiestas of San Isidro Labrador run on to the Monday, when animals, harvests and cars are blessed after mass and one of the country’s largest boyero parades sets off along the rural roads, with as many as 125 yokes of oxen on record. People come as much for the food: gallos de chicasquil, pork gallos made with pigs raised in the district, and mondongo and hen soup.

Houses in Jaris:

Homes here are single-family houses on their own lots, from compact village houses on plots of around 150 m² to larger family homes of 200 m² or more on lots over 300 m². Most houses for sale in Jaris are in or close to Villa Jaris, where the school, the church and the shops are within walking distance. A house further out on the slopes gives you more land and longer views in exchange for a steeper drive. Look at the street in front of the house as closely as the house itself: some are freshly cemented, others are still loose stone, and that difference shows in the rainy season.

Land and Lots in Jaris:

Land makes up a large share of what changes hands. Building lots of a few hundred square metres come up near the village, and further out there are fincas from about three hectares to seven or more, some with river frontage, a spring and trails already cut through the woods. Buyers looking at land for sale in Jaris are usually after space, water and quiet rather than a quick resale. On a sloping parcel, find out where water and power actually reach, how far a vehicle can get in the wet months, and how much of the plot is flat enough to build on.

FAQ:

• What kind of property can I find in Jaris?

  Family houses in and around Villa Jaris, building lots near the village and larger fincas on the slopes, some with a river or spring. There are no apartment buildings or condominium towers in the district.

• Can I live in Jaris and work in the Valley?

  Most residents already do. Ruta 239 takes you down to Ciudad Colón, and from there Ruta 27 runs toward Santa Ana, Escazú and San José. Drive the route at the hour you would commute before you commit.

• The plan for my lot still says Colón. Should I worry?

  Not necessarily, but check it. Jaris was split off from Colón in 2012, so older plans and deeds can name the old district. Confirm at the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) that the plan and the deed describe the same parcel, ask the Municipalidad de Mora for the land-use certificate, and on the northeastern edge make sure the parcel lies outside the Quitirrisí indigenous territory, where non-indigenous buyers cannot acquire land.

• What is Jaris known for?

  Its trapiches and the Trapichada, the San Isidro Labrador fiestas with their big boyero parade and their food, pig farming, and the hike up the Río Jaris to the waterfalls and old mines.

• What services are there in the district?

  Villa Jaris has a school, a football pitch, a Catholic church, a few shops and a health post that opens one day a week. Water, electricity and internet reach the village; for anything more, residents head to Ciudad Colón.