December 12 marks an annual celebration in Guanacaste called Fiesta de la Yeguita. Fiesta de la Yeguita, or Celebration of the Little Mare, commemorates an event that occurred many years ago in which a small black mare parted two brothers fighting over the same woman.  Depending on the legend followed, the mare suddenly appeared because the woman got to her knees and prayed for the fighting to end. Other legends claim it was nearby villagers observing the event who began to pray, specifically to the Virgin of Guadalupe, to stop the men.

Fiesta de la Yeguita is observed annually at the same time as the Catholic celebration of the patron saint of Nicoya, the Virgin of Guadalupe. Some say this is merely a coincidence, while others are convinced that these events are inextricably linked because it was the Virgin of Guadalupe who allowed for the divine intervention of the mare which saved the two brothers. Nowadays Festival de la Yeguita is celebrated with food, dancing and an annual parade in the city of Nicoya on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula.