Costa Rica History

12000 BC Costa Rica was inhabited by gatherer and hunters from Asia recently crossed the Bering Strait.

8000-4000 BC Nomads started settling.

4000-1000 BC For its strategic position what today we call Costa Rica was influenced both From North and South and growing crops and products from both. Consequently better Tools were developed and so they started clearing tropical forest to gain more fields.
This critical period and increase of agricultural activity hat for consequence a decrease of nomadic tendencies and so advancing in social and cultural development and political organization. Each village was ruled by the”cacique” and under him some religious and military nobility, the workers and then the slaves. War became a daily matter, justified by expansion or defence and organizing of cheap labour (slaves). The tribes participated in a wide spread net work. The Caribbean tribes traded with the southern Caribbean Tribes getting over the natural bridge and reaching southern continental tribes.
1000 BC-1500 AC The northern Pacific tribes traded with the northern Central American tribes and even more north. Among the trade good was: quetzal wings, cacao, spheres of power, natural dyes and the most important salt.
The “cazicazgos” villages where a “cacique” was the head of the town with the time had to share their power with higher positioned noble called ”señoríos” In the 16th century you could find these nobles or noble rulers In the Northwest (today Nicoya), East and Southeast (today Suerre, Pococi and Talamanca) and in the Central Valley (today Guarco and Garabit). The cultural, religious and linguistic pattern between was very different. But in common they had the belief that people, animals and objects had a spirit and it could be good or bad.

1500 – 1800 in 1502 when Columbus first arrived and set foot in Cariari (Caribbean), he and his man received gold and gift from 2 “Indian” girls.(this fact attracted a lot of explores to Costa Rica). The region was not as advanced as Mexico, Guatemala or South America. The “conquistadores” were not finding the tons of Gold nor the big civilizations or empires as else where. The conquest story of what now is Costa Rica is quite different from the lived by their northern and southern neighbours.
Costa Rica in the Pre-Columbian had several autonomous tribes. They varied very much in their stage of development. The “Chorotegas” (North) were said to be the most developed.
Two rough expeditions to the area had for consequence that Costa Rica was abandoned for almost 40 years. In 1506 for Diego de Nicuesa uncooperative tribes forced him to abandon the mission. In 1522, Gil Gonzalez Davila, despite of the harvest of a lot of Gold had deal with the dead of one thousand and more man. (tropical diseases and Indian attacks). In 1559 Juan Vasquez de Coronado conquered Costa Rica in the name of Spain, with a little effort because the tribes had diminished due to diseases or gone away. Coronado was said to be human, but after him slavery and mistreatment of the natives was part of the daily life.
Contrary to others, in Costa Rica the colonialist had to work themselves. Indian Labour and money were very scarese. Colonialists substitute the money with the Indian equivalent Cacao Beans. In1723 an eruption of the Irazu destroyed the small town of Cartago. Other cities started to grow fast (San José, Heredia)

1800 – 1850 Tobacco, Wheat and some other products were exported to Spain and other countries. Cacao plantations were becoming more and more important. But these exports were not changing the economic situation to much and Costa Rica remained an extreme poor country.
15 September 1821: Costa Rica won its independence from Spain. Costa Rica until was governed by Capitanía General of Guatemala. After the declaration of Independence, San José, Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago disagreed. Cartago and Heredia wanted to join Mexico, The Republicans from San José and Alajuela disagreed. A battle in Ochomogo Hills cleared the situation against the conservatives and an association with Mexico was excluded. Guanacaste what belonged to Nicaragua decided to join.
The first elected head of State was Juan Mora Fernandez 1824. He installed a judicial system, pushed education and promoted coffee plantations. In 1835 San José was attacked by the other three cities. San José ended victorious.
In 1835, Francisco Morazan from Honduras, he overturned President Braulio Carrillo, unsuccessfully. A year later he was executed.
During this time a new political group had emerged: The Coffee Barons. They made a coup and changed José María Castro against Juan Rafael Mora. In his period economic growth was achieved and he saved the country from William Walker. Juan Rafael Mora became himself victim of a coup and was executed.

1850 – 1870
But meantime a little North American from Nashville, William Walker, was occupied to take over Central America to annex them as slave nations to the Southern United States.Walker occupied Nicaragua in 1855, had himself elected president and established slavery. Further on his mission invading Guanacaste in 1856, President Mora united an army of 9000 men to join the forces of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. They were only armed with machetes and a few rifles but succeeded to defeat Walker and force him over the Nicaraguan border, where they were followed to the town of Rivas, where a young drummer torched the fort and forced Walker and his army to escape. The boy didn’t survive but turned to become Costa Rica’s National Hero: Juan Santamaria.
In 1959 President Mora and his supporters was sent to exile, he was unjustly blamed for the post war crisis caused by a cholera epidemic that cost 10% of Costa Rica’s population. The coffee industry suffered badly due to lack of credit and farm labour. A year later Mora and his brother in law General Maria Cañas tried to take power again a year later, but were captures and executed in a park of Puntarenas.
It followd a decade of political unrest. The way to Democracy was still long. Thomas Guardia came into power and remained there for 12 years with the support of the army.

1870-1890
Guardia is said to be one of the most dynamic and reformist leaders of Costa Rica. He abolished capìtal punishment and limited the use of he army. He was a dictator but his reforms were the beginning of very much needed democracy. He revised the constitution; build a railroad to the Atlantic, roads (important for the coffee exports) and the most important: In the 1869 reform education was declared free and obligatory for both sexes.
The twenty years between Gaurdia (1870-1882) and Soto (1882-1889) are known as the era of the “Olimpo” (liberalist), a group of arrogant, people, who tried to reform the government and civilize the populace. This group preferred science instead of religion and attacked the church as an institution. They promoted the heroic nature of the battle of 1956 and Juan Santamaria as their hero, while the followers of the church went on with their cult of the virgin, both groups, using their symbols to call for people’s loyalty and against resistance to the opposite group. 1889 is considered to be the start of the democracy in Costa Rica, when José Joaquin Rodriguez (and not Soto) won the first true held elections, but the latter’s government refused to accept the result. The people organized and supported the elected candidate forcing Soto to withdraw, a genuine sign of desire from the people for the democracy to be established in Costa Rica.

1890-1939
The following years were economically difficult. The liberalist philosophy witch characterize the end of the nineteenth century and the first part of the twentieth has failed because of the social unrest and because of U.S. Depression of 1929, which created a deep crisis in Costa Rica provoking more unrest and strikes.
The Government changed economical priorities: in 1933 they founded the Institute for the Defence of the Coffee regulating production and export. A banking reform, minimum wages were other outcome of governmental interfering.
the banking reform and the establishment of minimum wage for most workers.

1940-1944 Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia was ruling from 1940 to 1944. He founded the UCR (University of Costa Rica) in 1940, established social security system (CCSS) in 1941, some new laws guaranteeing basic rights for workers and all citizens.

1944-1970 The rule of President Picado (1944-1949): In a n electoral union with the communist, blessed by church(!!!) Calderon Guardia presented for the 1948 elections and failed against Otilio Ulate. Picado declared the victory was a fraud and refuses to step down from power, the beginning of Costa Rica’s Civil war. José Figueres (Don Pepe) who was sent in exile since 1942 (for accusing Calderon Government publicly in radio) and his party(Partido Acción Democrata, foundd 1944) led the country in a civil war that would cost 2000 lifes. He was joined by people like Rodrigo Facio Brenes and Carlos Monge Alfaro and together formed “Partido Social Democrata” in 1945 in order to depose the Picado government. Figueres signed an agreement with other Latin American countries in whicj his army would receive support in exchange for allowing Costa Rica to become a platform for destroying dictatorships in the area, quite after he trained militia in one of his farms.
Picado urged by Calderon Guardia not stepping down from power gave Figueres the best argument to launch the attack that he had in mind for so long. After a five week period of fighting, the Diplomatic Corps negotiated the signing of a peace treaty. He stayed in power for exactly 18 months, through a military junta. This government abolished the army, gave the women the right to vote and gave full citizenship to the black population of Costa Rica, created the “Tribunal Supremo de Elleciones” in order to prevent electoral fraud. Then he passed office to the candidate elected by the people, President Otilio Ulate.
Figueres started working on the party called “Liberación Nacional” The pecefull outcomeof the civil war of Costa Rica is highly different then the one of their neighbours. Jose Figueres him self was elected president in 1953 and 1970 for his Partico Liberación Nacional (PLN). His main achievements:

1970-1990 Nicaraguan revolution in the 1970. Nicaragua is trying to destabilize Costa Rica and plunge all Central America into war.
In 1980 crises goes fast: Rule of president Carazo (1978-1982) The devaluation of the Costa Rica Colon rallies, the expense of CCSS (social system) climb in the clouds and an important decrease of exports hit hard Costa Rica’s Economy. The country is in extremely high per capita depth and makes Costa Rica’s neutral position in the Nicaraguan conflict vulnerable
1982 elected president Luis Alberto Monge Alvarez (PLN) in the beginning tried to keep Costa Rica neutral. Under the pressure of Costa Rican right orientated and US pressure, the growing economic crisis was forced to bow US demands in exchange for aid to support the contras. Following to Nicaraguan counter strikes in the border area Costa Rican Civil Guard, trained by US advisors in Honduras were building roads and airstrips in the northern parts of the country. 1984 after signing the “Contadora Peace Plan” arranged by Venezuela, Monge withdraw his support. Costa Rica stepped back and later supported “peace negiciator” Oscar Arias Sanchez in his 1986 election campaign. Arias was displeased by US attempts to over go the country’s neutrality and drag the nation into the conflict. As head of state elected in 1986, Arias started immediately negotiations in order to restore peace to Central America. He formulated a peace plan that was signed by five Central American presidents in 1987, and which won him the Nobel Peace Prize
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1990-1994 Rafael Calderon (PUSC) The country lives a growth in specialization and tourism. Improvements are made in National Parks and Hotel Infrastructure. The tendency goes for ecotourism and large hotel chains establishing themselves in Costa Rica.

1994-1998 José María Figueres Olsen (PLN) Specialization continues in Costa Rica. Tourism is growing fast and several tourist projects are in work, others in project. President Figueres succeeded to convince Intel Industries to open a production and research branch in Costa Rica. Since that time Economist in Costa Rica talk about Economy with and/or without Intel figures.

1998-2002 Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria (PUSC), came to power with a whole bunch of promises to liberalise the economy and privatize national Institutions. Massive protests made him stop his governmental program. But on the end of his rule, the Parliament ratified the TLC with Canada. He was elected in 200? …. But had to give up his position and come back to Costa Rica where he has to respond at charges for having received kick back from governmental contracts.

2002-2006 Abel Pacheco Espriella