In 2001, it was declared a Historical Architectonic Patrimony. The Ecomuseum is in an area that holds evidence of the biggest scale of gold mining in Costa Rica, where the Company “Abangares Gold Fields of Costa Rica” operated. It contains an outdoor exhibition of mining machinery, paths that lead to the ruins of an old stamp mill house, “Edificio de los Mazos,” “Casa de la Pólvora,” and great natural scenery. There is a Tunnel on a historical traverse, where Tulita, a steam locomotive, pulled ore wagons. The major activities are agriculture (Coffee and variety of Vegetable), Gold mining and Tourism. At the moment, gold mining is artisanal and largely unregulated. Agriculture and mining are the most traditional activities and ways of living in the district. All over the highlands (San Rafael, Cebadilla, Campos de Oro, Cañitas, La Cruz and Tornos) small producers of coffee and vegetables are organized in cooperatives. The Ecomuseum, the biodiversity, and the hot springs are attracting tourism from all over the world to the district. La Sierra is between Guanacaste and San José, and between Guanacaste and Monteverde. Tourism can include staying in La Sierra and using a non traditional tourist route to Guanacaste, with local options including zip lining, agritourism, visiting the Ecomuseum, seeking out local gold miners, or resting at the hot springs. Sierra is composed of fifteen villages: