Cerro Zurquí, Mountain summit in Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica.

Cerro Zurquí is a volcanic massif in the Central Volcanic Range, southeast of Barva Volcano and within Braulio Carrillo National Park. It comprises several peaks, including Chompipe at 2,259 m, Turú at 2,139 m, Caricias at 2,100 m, Hondura at 2,047 m, Tres Marías at 1,725 m and Achiotillal at 1,882 m. Its northern side forms the buttress of the Central Valley between the La Hondura valley and the Collado del Desengaño.

In pre-Columbian times an indigenous people lived on the slopes of Cerro Zurquí, and during the Conquest the area was known as Churquín, Yurquín or Yorquín; in the Térraba language chur or yur means slope, while the Bribri called it Choli, linked to a spring. Its andesites, basaltic andesites, basalts and some dacites date to about 0.5 million years ago. The Zurquí Tunnel was later cut through a volcanic breccia of blocks 15 cm to 1 m across, crossing two volcanic veins about 5 m thick.

The name Zurquí comes from an indigenous word, Supi, for a river descending from the mountain; during the Conquest it was recorded as Churquín, Yurquín or Yorquín, and in Térraba chur or yur means slope. The Bribri knew it as Choli, linked to a spring or water source. Indigenous legends explain the life cycle of the jilguero finches and colipato butterflies, which cross through the Paso del Desengaño and Paso de la Palma.

The peak is accessible via Highway 32, which connects the Central Valley to the Caribbean region and passes through the Zurquí Tunnel. Visitors should prepare for changing weather and frequent mist, especially in early morning and late afternoon hours.

Cerro Zurquí is where jilgueros are most abundant in Costa Rica, according to indigenous legends that explain the life cycle of these birds and of the colipato butterflies. Those butterflies cross yearly toward the Central Valley through the Paso del Desengaño, between Poás and Varablanca, and the Paso de la Palma, between Zurquí and Irazú.