It lies near the northeastern bank of the man-made Lake Cachí, created by the damming of the Reventazon River.

The other landmarks near the town, apart from one of the oldest churches in Costa Rica, are the Cachí Dam, the Tapantí National Park (part of La Amistad WHS) and Lankester botanical gardens.

Initially a hermitage made of straw was built and indigenous people called the image Virgin Mary as "The Queen of the Valleys".

[3][4] The town was located in one of the poorest regions of the Spanish empire, which lacked economic resources to sustain its population.

[5] Recent studies by the priest and historian Manuel Benavides, have suggested that the move was due to political reasons.

[2][4] Every year an annual mass is held on the Sunday closest to April 14 to celebrate the feast of La Virgen de Ujarrás.

During the 2010 restoration campaign, both the main and back facades were retrofitted to made the old structures more resistant to seismic activity, common in Costa Rica.

A religious procession of this statue of the Saint Patron is held every year at Paraíso on 16 April and it is a pilgrimage to most Costa Ricans to recount their history and to express their reverence to the Virgin Mary.