A Brief History of Costa Rica

Christopher Columbus set foot in Costa Rica on September 18, 1502 making his 4th and final voyage to the New World. A group of local Carib Indians greeted his crew warmly. He stayed for 17 days and was so impressed by the gold decorations worn by the locals that he promptly dubbed the country Costa Rica, 'the rich coast’. By the time Columbus arrived, there were 4 major indigenous tribes living in Costa Rica, namely the Caribs, Borucas, Chibchas, and Diquis.

Colonization was slow it took nearly 60 years for Spanish settlers to make a strong hold of the country. Once the process started, the country suffered the effects of European invasion. The indigenous population did not have the sufficient numbers to resist the Spanish, and their populations dwindled quickly because of susceptibility to European diseases. Costa Rica joined other Central American provinces in 1821 in a joint declaration of independence from Spain. An era of peaceful democracy in Costa Rica began in 1899 with elections considered the first truly free and honest ones in the country's history. This began a trend that continued until today. In 1917-19, Federico Tinoco ruled as a dictator, and, in 1948, Jose Figueres led an armed uprising in the wake of a disputed presidential election. The 44-day civil war resulting from this uprising was the bloodiest event in 20th-century Costa Rican history, but the victorious junta drafted a constitution guaranteeing free elections with universal suffrage and the abolition of the military. Figueres became a national hero, winning the first election under the new constitution in 1953. Since then, Costa Rica has held 14 presidential elections, the latest in 2006.