Piedras Negras

About Piedras Negras:

Piedras Negras is the fourth district of Mora and one of the four the canton started with in 1883; Picagres, now its western neighbour, was carved out of it later. It covers just under 15 km² and is boxed in by Alajuela canton to the north, Picagres to the west, Puriscal to the southwest, Jaris to the southeast, Quitirrisí to the east and Colón, the canton seat, to the northeast. Route 136 is the road that holds it together: southwest it heads to Desamparaditos and Santiago de Puriscal, north it drops to the Río Virilla and crosses into Turrúcares and La Garita. Route 316 also runs through the district, and Ciudad Colón, the nearest town, is where you join Route 27 for Santa Ana, Escazú and San José.

The church is the village landmark. The Templo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles is one of seven Victorian-style churches still standing around the edges of Mora, built of wooden boards and sheet galvanised iron, with a few modest neo-Gothic touches at the doors, windows and vault, and painted ceilings and walls inside. With the parish house and the community hall it forms a single group, declared architectural heritage in 2007. Every 2 August the patron-saint fiesta draws a crowd of visitors, and in recent years Piedras Negras has become a gathering point for people doing the romería that day.

The population figures tell their own story. Piedras Negras had close to a thousand residents in 1927, fell to just over two hundred by 1984, and has been growing again ever since, though it is still home to only a few hundred people. Besides the main village, the district takes in the hamlets of Chile and La Palma, also known as León, which has its own primary school, and Piedras Negras has an EBAIS clinic. Much of what changes hands today is land: quintas for weekends and building plots for people who want to live out of town and still reach the Central Valley by car.

This is the low, green side of Mora, crossed by the Río Jaris and the Río Picagres, with forest covering a good part of the fincas. On the wooded parcels you can still see toucans, monkeys and deer. The hills draw walkers and riders: a hard trail of about 15 km climbs more than 600 metres from Piedras Negras up to Ciudad Colón, and a mountain-bike route links the village with Desamparaditos. Finca Llano Escondido runs a campsite here with a river, waterfalls and a natural pool.

Houses in Piedras Negras:

Houses here come with land around them. At one end are modern family homes, such as four-bedroom houses of a little over 300 m² on plots of more than a thousand square metres, with big windows onto the garden and the hills; at the other, a large house on a hectare of finca. Sellers often give Ciudad Colón as the address of houses for sale in Piedras Negras, so check the plan to see which district the house is really in. Visit after a heavy afternoon of rain, too, and you will know what the drive in is like in the wet months.

Land and Lots in Piedras Negras:

Land is what Piedras Negras mostly has to offer. A building lot of a few thousand square metres can come with water and electricity meters already installed and half the plot flat, while half-hectare parcels may have fruit trees already producing. Parcels of around three hectares are sold as quintas de recreo, with access to the Río Jaris and long frontage on a public road. If you are comparing land for sale in Piedras Negras with plots closer to Ciudad Colón, remember that the canton’s regulatory plan covers only the Colón district. Here, building or subdividing follows the national rules, so ask the Municipalidad de Mora early what your plot will allow.

FAQ:

• What kind of property is there in Piedras Negras?

  Expect houses on their own land, building lots, and quintas and fincas from half a hectare to a few hectares. This is not apartment country; if you need a flat with services nearby, look toward Santa Ana instead.

• Is there a bus to Piedras Negras?

  Not a regular one. A Puriscal–Picagres service was tried in the early 2000s and did not last, and today the bus only comes in for the patron-saint fiesta. Living here means driving: Route 136 to Ciudad Colón and Route 27 beyond it, or north across the Virilla to Turrúcares and the Alajuela side.

• Can a construction truck get to a lot in Piedras Negras?

  Yes, but check the bridges first. The Route 136 bridge over the Río Jaris has turned back heavy vehicles before, and the stretch between Picagres and Piedras Negras has had preventive bridge closures. Before you buy a plot to build on, find out how a concrete truck would reach it in the middle of the rainy season.

• What should I check before buying a lot or finca here?

  Start with what the land can be used for: outside the Colón district there is no regulatory plan, so the Municipalidad de Mora’s land-use certificate and the national subdivision and building rules decide what you can put up. If the parcel runs along the Jaris, the Picagres or a creek, the protected strip beside the water cannot be built on. Then confirm at the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) that the cadastral plan matches the deed. On the eastern edge, make sure the land lies outside the Quitirrisí indigenous territory, where non-indigenous buyers cannot acquire property.

• What is Piedras Negras known for?

  Its wooden Victorian church, protected as architectural heritage, and the 2 August fiesta that brings pilgrims and visitors into the village. The rest of the year it is forest, rivers, trails and a campsite that fill up with walkers, cyclists and campers at weekends.