History History

Central America was first visited by hunter-gatherers during the Paleolithic period. After the first sedentary settlements around 5000 B.C., agriculture was consolidated by 1000 B.C. and the first social structures appeared as early as 800 A.D. It is assumed that the first inhabitants of the country were attracted by the abundant resources of the coasts and the Pan-American isthmus. At that time, a luxuriant tropical forest covered the territory and a mega-fauna, such as giant sloths or mastodons, now extinct, evolved alongside the first men who came to populate this thin strip of land.

For a long time, Costa Rica was only a place of passage for all the nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers that headed towards the south of the continent. The groups that began to settle on the Central American isthmus represented only a few communities. These populations, which were to become the future civilizations and societies of Central America, began the slow progress of agriculture over three centuries. It was a question of becoming familiar with a new environment full of resources and identifying animals, edible plants and medicinal plants. Initiating the domestication of animals, they also began to cultivate tubers (notably cassava and sweet potato) and grain (corn). Gradually, tools were developed for cooking, grinding grain and hunting.

The construction of the Huetar city of Guayabo attests to the empowerment of the important Huetar community of Costa Rican natives. The Huetares were the most powerful and best organized indigenous nation in Costa Rica when the Spanish conquistadors arrived. However, the city was abandoned around 1400; the reasons for this abandonment are still unknown. Numerous Spanish chronicles mention the multitude of villages and kingdoms present in the territory, among them the kingdom of Garabito, located on the central slope of the Pacific, the kingdom of Pacaca, in the present-day canton of Mora, and the Señorío de El Guarco, in the province of Cartago. Their culture was distinguished mainly by the work of the stone, especially through the production of sculptures. Their language, huetar, is now extinct but survives in a large number of place names in Costa Rica. All these pre-Columbian populations are the descendants of nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers who gradually settled down.

Located at the strategic crossroads between North and South America, Costa Rica is mainly involved in the gold trade, especially with Mexico.

During his fourth and last voyage of exploration, Christopher Columbus dropped anchor on the Caribbean coast after four months and eight days of sailing. He disembarked between the island of Quiribri (today called Uvita) and the village of Cariari. He landed there to check the condition of his ships and met the Quiribri Amerindians. Bartolomé de Las Casas left, in his History of the Indies, a powerful testimony of the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the Costa Rican coast. He would have been inspired by the authentic writings of the Admiral: " They found there the best people, the best land and the best stay that they had found until then, by the beauty of its hills and its mountain, the freshness of its rivers and its forests that rose up to the sky so much they were high, and by the green island, very fresh and flat, covered with big woods and that had the air of a delicious orchard ". There is no doubt that as soon as they arrived, the settlers had identified the natural riches of the territory! At that time, according to recent estimates, the current territory of the country was occupied by 400,000 natives. After the arrival of Columbus, Costa Rica would remain under the control of the General Captaincy of Guatemala on behalf of Spain for nearly three centuries.

Two conquistadores, Alonso de Hojeda and Diego de Nicuesa, obtained two governments from Ferdinand the Catholic: Alonso de Hojeda was given the government of Urabá (the border area between Colombia and Panama that later took the name of Darien) and Diego de Nicuesa was given the government of Veragua, in central Panama, also known as Castilla del Oro. However, these first attempts at colonization ended in failure: the two men could not agree and were in constant disagreement. It was Vasco Núñez de Balboa who took command of the remaining men. He will be able to conclude alliances with the caciques and will be the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean from its Eastern coast in 1513.

In 1514, Pedro Arias de Ávila, better known as Pedrarias, disembarked with his 1,200 men in the Darien region, a vast area of swamp and forest located on the border between Colombia and Panama. Mandated by King Charles V, his mission was to put an end to the crimes perpetuated by the previous expeditions: pillaging, torture, rape, the troops were busy with atrocities that were unfortunately very common during the colonization of the American continent. Five years later, in 1519, Pedro Arias de Ávila founded the city of Panamá. Panamá was a strategic choice, as its location allowed expeditions to travel along the Pacific coast.

Seventeen years later, the colonists again landed on the island of La Huerta. Hernán Ponce de León reached the Gulf of Nicoya by sea but did not land. Gil González Dávila, the first European to explore what is now Nicaragua, explored the Pacific coast of Costa Rica during a long expedition on foot. He walked nearly 700 kilometers and, as a result of his fruitful encounters with indigenous communities, collected a large quantity of gold objects. These new explorations marked the beginning of colonization. However, the conquest of the country was slow: despite the first scuffles with the natives of the region, the Chorotegas and the Huetares, the conquistadors were not very interested in the territory, which they considered to be poor in mineral wealth.

On the Nicoya Peninsula, the Conquistador Francisco Fernández de Cordoba was responsible for the settlement of the area. By founding Villa Bruselas in the area of present-day Puntarenas, he established the first Spanish settlement in Costa Rica. However, the construction of this city was short-lived: the perpetual conflicts between Spaniards and the numerous assaults organized by Amerindian warriors led to the disappearance of the city in 1528.

After the passage of Diego de Nicuesa, many explorers ventured to the Atlantic coast. Among them are Felipe Guttarez, Hernán Sanchez de Badajoz, Rodrigo de Contreras and Diego Gutiérrez. They gradually founded new small cities such as Villa de la Concepción, Badajoz and Marbella.

Costa Rica was annexed to the Catholic diocese of León (now in Nicaragua).

Founded by the Spanish conquistador Juan Vásquez de Coronado, Cartago remained the first capital of Costa Rica until 1823. From its foundation until the independence of the country, Cartago was the residence of the governors and the main Spanish authorities. At the same time, the first Franciscans arrived in the territory.

Following the royal decision of Philip II of Spain to install a permanent colony in Costa Rica, numerous troops of Spanish soldiers gradually took over the territory. Juan Vásquez de Coronado, considered the conqueror of Costa Rica, left his mark on the country's history: he founded the city of Cartago, suppressed the protests of the indigenous communities, executed several Amerindian chiefs and subdued several tribes. However, his memory is also associated with his diplomatic and peacemaking acts. Paradoxically, he knew how to be the ally of several caciques and to respond positively to certain requests of the native communities.

The first encomiendas were initiated by the conquistador Perafán de Ribera in 1569. Gradually democratizing throughout the South American continent, theencomienda is a system whereby a landowner is allowed to benefit from the free labor of local populations in exchange for their protection and evangelization. While trying to subjugate the Amerindian peoples, the Spanish Crown, influenced by the Catholic Church, sent missionaries to complete this evangelization. The entire territory became the playground for all the eccentricities of a Western world for which the limits of the Mediterranean were no longer sufficient. The conquest of Costa Rica is considered to have been completed in 1580, when the majority of the settlers settled in the Central Valley: in Cartago and in the city that would later become San José. In the early 1570's, the portion of land called Costa Rica became part of the General Captaincy of Guatemala on behalf of Spain.

The Spanish colonists continued to occupy the Central Valley despite the presence of pirates and attacks by the Northern Miskitos, an Amerindian ethnic group stretching from Honduras to Nicaragua. The colonization of the territory was long and difficult: the colony was poor and isolated. Intended to work the land, the settlers had to deal with a territory with rugged terrain and occupied by Amerindians, whose presence was feared. At the time, land communication routes were almost non-existent and the colonists were reduced to cultivating their land, which they had to clear with rudimentary tools.

Cultivation of cocoa and first importation of slaves from Black Africa.

The English pirates Edward Mansfield and Henry Morgan disembarked near Puerto Limon and then went inland in the vicinity of Turrialba. Spotted by the governor's troops, Morgan, Mansfield and their men were forced to turn back. They continued their raid attempts but were repulsed in the great majority of the cases.

Developed as a Spanish colony, Costa Rica found itself involved in the struggles of succession that animated Europe. Unstable and agitated, the country's colonies found themselves living in complete autonomy following the fall of the Spanish Empire

Foundation of Cubujuqui also called Heredia

Rebellion of Pablo Presbere, Amerindian chief of Talamanca executed in 1710.

Foundation of Villa Nueva de la Boca del Monte, which will become San José.

Foundation of Alajuela under the name of Villa Hermosa.

On September 15, 1821, Costa Rica gained its independence. The independence of Central America was first declared in Guatemala followed by El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. But, strangely enough, Costa Rica learned of its independence more than a month later. Authorities in San José, Cartago, Heredia and Alajuela announced the creation of a democratic government based on the "Concord Pact," which is considered Costa Rica's first constitution. However, this was followed by a period of political instability that eventually led to Juan Mort Hernández becoming the head of the country.

The Congress of Ciudad de Guatemala, held in June 1823, proclaimed itself the "National Constituent Assembly of the Central American Provinces. Central America was declared free of all domination and all provinces were given the right to adopt a constitution and to appoint their own head of state. Costa Rica remained one of the five United States before leaving this coalition in 1838.

San José became the capital of the country in 1823.

The Constituent Assembly of Guatemala City abolishes slavery throughout Central America. Costa Rica adopted its first constitution. The long period of political instability eventually led to a civil war.

That same year, Juan Mora Fernandez became the country's first president and attempted to ease tensions by instituting several peace reforms.

Annexation by referendum of Guanacaste, a region that had been independent until then.

President Mora left office in 1833. Thereafter, there were no less than 11 heads of state in barely 18 years!

Beginning of coffee exports.

A regular trade was established between Costa Rica and England.

After gaining independence on September 15, 1821, Costa Rica joined the Federal Republic of Central America, which was finally dissolved in 1838 due to internal conflicts between the states. Gradually, each province declared its independence and thus, on August 31, 1848, Costa Rica became a Republic, with José María Castro Madriz as the last head of state and first president of the Republic. The following year, 1849, Juan Rafael Mora Porras came to power.

Born in 1824, William Walker was an American eager to conquer several territories in Central America. Successively journalist, doctor or even lawman, his ultimate goal was to appropriate a territory of which he could be the sovereign. After several failed expeditions in Mexico, he was able to get closer to Nicaragua and obtained Nicaraguan citizenship. He proclaimed himself president of Nicaragua in 1856 and had his government recognized by Washington before embarking on his next great project: to federate the five Central American states. He recruited Americans and Europeans in 1856 to take over Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica. As Walker's army fell victim to a cholera epidemic, Costa Rican President Juan Rafael Mora organized with the other Central American states, all of which were opposed to Walker's plan of action. The country raised an army of 9,000 men and, determined to repel all forms of domination, began the Costa Rican National Campaign. In the battle of Rivas in April 1856, the young drummer Juan Santamaría fell in the field of honor after an act of bravery. He became the national hero of Costa Rica. It will be necessary to wait one more year to succeed in defeating Walker and his freebooters on May¹, 1857.

General Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez undertook modernization works for the country, including the construction of the railroad linking the Central Valley to Puerto Limón. This 180-kilometer-long connection allowed for the export of coffee, which had become the country's most important product. Completed in 1890, the railroad was built mostly by foreign workers, migrants from China, the Caribbean, Black Africa and Italy. The builders of the line, poorly paid and subjected to poor working conditions, nicknamed the line "el muerto" in reference to the thousands of deaths that occurred on the construction site.

After Venezuela and San Marino, Costa Rica becomes the third country in the world to abolish the death penalty.

Led by a group of politicians, intellectuals, and scientists known as Olympus, a more modern reform was in the offing for Costa Rica, eager to pursue its emancipation. This reform was mainly characterized by the limitation of the power of the Church. Thus, a series of laws claimed the secular position of the country. However, Costa Ricans, deeply attached to the Catholic Church, expressed strong opposition.

The liberal candidate Ascención Esquivel, defeated by José Joaquin Rodriguez, tried to maintain his position. The people rose up and many Costa Ricans demonstrated in the country's major cities. On the verge of civil war, the president still in office, Bernardo Soto, gave up power and Ascención Esquivel went into exile in Guatemala

Devastating earthquakes in Cartago.

When direct elections were first held in 1913, no candidate won a majority, and the Legislative Assembly chose Alfredo González Flores as president. Unhappy with González's proposed tax reforms, General Federico Tinoco Granados led one of the country's few coups in 1917. The early dictatorship of Federico Tinoco Granados, initially supported by the United States and the United Fruit Company, would eventually decline two years later when the streets rose up and forced him to resign in 1919.

Creation of the reformist party by Jorge Volio.

Costa Rica did not escape the phase of economic crisis and recession that affected all the countries of the world. Following the dark years of dictatorship and the crisis of 1929, the communist party was born and organized in the country.

At the dawn of the Second World War, Costa Rica was the first state in the Americas to declare war on Germany. The country asked German residents to leave the country.

Since Rafael Ángel Calderón Garcia came to power, many social reforms were introduced. In addition to the right to vote for women, a law was passed on social guarantees (Social Security): retirement, sickness, maternity and disability, which prefigured the environmental guarantees passed in 2002.

Application of the Labour Code.

After a short civil war, José Figueres Ferrer established the foundations of the Welfare State, which aimed to distribute the benefits of economic growth.

In a move to pacify the territory, Costa Rica became the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army. In signing the decree of law, President José Figueres Ferrer donated the barracks to the country's university. The abolition of the military institution was a political necessity: the army was unstable and divided, and its abolition was a way to avoid the risk of overthrowing the government. Since then, the country's security is ensured solely by the national police and the elimination of military budgets allows the small country to invest in health and education.

Foundation of the Second Republic.

Costa Rica enters the Central American Common Market.

The eruption of the ash spewing volcano will last more than two years.

Great strike and student protest against the mining concessions belonging to the American company Alcoa.

Following the arrival in power of the new Sandinista regime, 300,000 Nicaraguans fled their country and found refuge in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica proclaims its "perpetual, active and unarmed" neutrality. In the same year, the hero Franklin Chang Diaz made his first trip into space.

Oscar Arias Sánchez became President of the Republic.

An economist by training, Oscar Arias Sánchez quickly entered politics with the support of "Don Pepe". He was elected President of the Republic from 1986 to 1990. Rejecting the liberal economic model for its "individual and egoistic" character, he was a supporter of the welfare state and was at the origin of the economic and social renewal of the country. Internationally, he initiated a global peace plan for the region including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica, and negotiated the Esquipulas II peace treaty, "reliable and lasting for Central America", between these countries. For this he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987. He was again elected President of the Republic from 2006 to 2010.

Oscar Arias Sánchez receives the Nobel Peace Prize.

Economic slowdown and social movements. Costa Rica enters the WTO.

The preservation of biodiversity is becoming a common struggle for most Central American countries. On July 12, 1997, in Panama, the CBM - corredor biologico mesoamericano is created: it associates several States on the same conservation project and allows to link several national parks. This corridor is an international biodiversity conservation area.

Miguel Angel Rodríguez was elected President of the Republic. Member of the Social Christian Unity Party, he undertook an economic recovery plan. However, his mandate was considered "ineffective" by the vast majority of Costa Ricans.

Abel Pacheco, former director of the San José psychiatric hospital, was elected President of the Republic. For the first time in the history of Costa Rica, two rounds of voting were required to elect the future president of the Republic.

Oscar Arias Sánchez was elected President of the Republic for a second term.

Referendum on the free trade agreement for Central America. The CAFTA, which stands for Central American Free Trade Agreement, won by a narrow margin. This agreement, which came into force in 2008, is still controversial as to the advantages and disadvantages of opening up markets, particularly that of the United States.

For the first time, the country was awarded the title of "Happiest Country in the World". In 2021, the country was still ranked first in the world in the Happy Planet Index.

Costa Rica is committed to the OECD tax standards and has been removed from the blacklist of tax havens.

On February 7, 2010, Laura Chinchilla was elected president of Costa Rica in the first round. She is the first woman president of this country. She is an activist of the National Liberation Party.

Signing of a free trade treaty between the European Union and Central American countries. In 2012, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama sign a comprehensive association agreement that also includes a region-to-region trade component that will help establish trade opportunities for all parties.

The border dispute with Nicaragua in the Calero Island region over the San Juan River that separates the two countries has reached a lull. Nicaragua is allowed to continue dredging the river, but Costa Rica has the right to send observers to see any environmental damage.

The President of the United States Barack Obama was received in May by the President of the Republic, Laura Chinchilla, with whom he discussed the fight against drug trafficking and the distribution of natural gas.

Jairo Mora Sandoval, a volunteer who was saving turtle eggs in the province of Limon, was killed. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets. In tribute to the young activist, the NGO Sea Shepherd named a ship after him.

In June, cooperation agreements between China and Costa Rica were signed with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They amount to nearly two billion dollars, or 4% of Costa Rica's GDP, and concern the construction of an oil refinery and a road.

The leader of the opposition and political scientist Luis Guillermos Solís Rivera was elected president on May 8.

In July, Ban Ki Moon, then secretary general of the United Nations, was on an official visit to Costa Rica. He called the country a "symbol of peace" before taking a symbolic bike ride around the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the barrio Amon.

Costa Rica held the 2014 presidency pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). It is exploring the possibility of joining the Pacific Alliance, a forum of Latin American countries that support free trade.

The Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has unanimously decided to invite Costa Rica to start the process of joining the organization: a major step forward in strengthening Costa Rica's ties with the OECD.

The 7 people charged in the Sandoval case are finally acquitted by the Criminal Court of Limon, which triggers the anger of environmentalists around the world.

President Solis is in China for a state visit. This visit also marked the inauguration of the China-CELAC forum. This visit marks a further strengthening of the link with China, at the expense of Taiwan.

The country's green policy continues as the entire country ran on 98% renewable energy throughout the year.

In response to the crisis in Venezuela, Costa Rica is among the 12 Latin American countries that do not recognize the constituent assembly wanted by President Maduro and just elected.

Costa Rica has managed to produce 100% renewable electricity for 300 days.

New President Carlos Alvarado, of the Citizen Action party, was elected. With more than 60% of the vote, this former Minister of Labour and Social Security, elected at 38 years of age, focused his program on reconciling ecology and the economy. Considered the "climate messiah", he has made a name for himself on the international scene with an ambitious environmental policy.