Faces of Costa Rica

Guardian Angel: A Store of Faith

The small Catholic bookstore, Angel de la Guardia (Guardian Angel), sits across the street from the imposing white Catholic Church in Moravia. Relgious greeting cards, rosaries, books, wrapping paper, candles and statues of saints line the shelves inside.

Hazel, a young girl in her early 20s, stands behind the counter. She helps customers as they come in -- directing an older woman to the rosary beads, and a younger woman to the rack of birthday cards. She has been working there for more than a year, and enjoys her job.

"Most of the people who come in here are women," she said. "We also see a lot of teenagers coming to buy books that they need for religion class or other school activity. Men will also come in occasionally to buy gifts for their mothers or wives, but still most of our customers are women."