Visiting the tiny pueblo of Boruca in the extreme southern zone of Costa Rica is quite an adventure. There the 600 or so remaining members of the Brunka tribe spend their days practicing timely traditions of making arts and crafts the same way their ancestors did before the Spanish arrived to Costa Rica. Their language is almost extinct, with just a few elderly tribe members still conversant. In the 1980's Boruca was not the thriving village that it is today and was beset by conditions of extreme poverty. However, a small group within the tribe decided to organize and re-inspire the ancient traditions of making textile items and the masks that have really put "Boruca" on the tourist map. The masks are used in an annual celebration that takes place at the close of each year. It is called the "Danza de los Diabilitos" and is a reenactment of the struggle between the Indians and the Spanish. The hideously and ornately carved masks, made from balsa and cedar, are brightly painted in ways that are meant to be "scary" to the Spaniards and perhaps drive them from Costa Rica's shores. Of course, that didn't happen, but thankfully the Brunka mask-makers are still in full force in the tiny picturesque village of Boruca, Costa Rica.