By Amanda Roberson and Katherine Stanley, Tico Times Staff

Thousands of Costa Ricans finished a long journey on foot to pay tribute to the country’s patron saint, Nuestra Señora de los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels) at the basilica by the same name in Cartago, east of San José, yesterday.

Religious groups, families and giggling teenagers filled the 22-kilometer route from San José to Cartago, with the largest crowds traveling Tuesday afternoon and evening.

The journey was a peaceful and uneventful one in terms of crime, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry. Only two cases of robbery were reported, and three people identified by the last names Méndez, Barboza and Barboza were arrested.

One death occurred, however. Cristhian Rodríguez, 26, was hit by a car and killed while walking through Curridabat, east of San José, Sunday. A man identified by the last name Campos, 53, was also hit and injured. The driver, identified by the last name Montenegro, 26, was arrested five hours later with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, the daily La Nación reported.

Many walkers also fell victim to dehydration and/or fatigue – Red Cross officials treated 3,620 people for these and other minor conditions, Red Cross spokesperson Gelson Rodríguez said.

Efforts by event organizers to reduce noise and advertising during the pilgrimage appeared to have paid off. The route was quieter and less cluttered than last year, and two long banners from the dairy cooperative Dos Pinos that ran the length of the church in August 2005 (TT, Aug. 5, 2005) were replaced by banners bearing messages about the Virgin Mary.

Upon reaching the church yesterday morning, walkers listened to messages of peace from Episcopal Conference president José Francisco Ulloa during a mass to honor the virgin, known as La Negrita, according to the wire service ACAN-EFE. 

President Oscar Arias seconded wishes for peace in the world, particularly in the Middle East.

“I pray for the men and women in the Middle East, that the echo of love resounds over the machine gun, that the dove of peace flies higher than the missiles,” Arias said.