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In Pre-Columbian times the Native Americans in what is now Costa Rica were part of the Intermediate Area, between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents. ... Brazilian Indian chiefs The scope of this indigenous peoples of the Americas article encompasses the definitions of indigenous peoples and the Americas as established in their respective articles. ... Mesoamerica is the region extending from central Mexico south to the northwestern border of Costa Rica that gave rise to a group of stratified, culturally related agrarian civilizations spanning an approximately 3,000-year period before the European discovery of the New World by Columbus. ... The word Andean refers to the geographic area in and around the Andes Mountains of South America, and to the indigenous peoples that inhabit the area, such as the Inca. ...

Pre-Columbian Ceramics from Nicoya, Costa Rica

In 1502, on his fourth and last voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus made the first European landfall in the area. European settlement of Costa Rica began in 1522. The native peoples were conquered by Spain in the sixteenth century. Costa Rica was then the southern-most province in the Spanish territory of New Spain. The provincial capital was in Cartago. Precolumbian Ceramics from Nicoya, Costa Rica, from pd 1916 book by T.A. Joyce This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Precolumbian Ceramics from Nicoya, Costa Rica, from pd 1916 book by T.A. Joyce This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer and one of the first Europeans to explore the Americas after the Vikings. ... map of New Spain in red, with territories claimed but not controlled in orange. ... Cartago is a city in Costa Rica, about 25 km (15 miles) east of the capital, San José. It is at an elevation of about 1435 m (some 4930 ft) above sea level on the Cartago River, at the base of the Irazú Volcano. ...

For nearly three centuries, Spain administered the region as part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala under a military governor. The Spanish optimistically called the country "Rich Coast". Finding little gold or other valuable minerals in Costa Rica, however, the Spanish turned to agriculture. The Captaincy General of Guatamala (Spanish: Capitania General de Goathemalawa) was an administrative division in Spanish America which covered much of Central America, extending from the Soconusco region - located in what is now the southern part of Mexico (states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan) - to Costa Rica. ...

The small landowners' relative poverty, the lack of a large indigenous labor force, the population's ethnic and linguistic homogeneity, and Costa Rica's isolation from the Spanish colonial centers in Mexico and the Andes -- all contributed to the development of an autonomous and individualistic agrarian society. Even the Governor had to farm his own crops and tend to his own garden due to the poverty that he lived in. An egalitarian tradition also arose. This tradition survived the widened class distinctions brought on by the nineteenth century introduction of banana and coffee cultivation and consequent accumulations of local wealth.

Federal Republic of Central America

Costa Rica joined other Central American provinces in 1821 in a joint declaration of independence from Spain. After a brief time in the Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide (see: History of Mexico and Mexican Empire) Costa Rica became a state in the Federal Republic of Central America (see: History of Central America) from 1823 to 1839. In 1824 the capital was moved to San José, but following a rivalry with Cartago that was violent. Although the newly independent provinces formed a Federation, border disputes broke out among them, adding to the region's turbulent history and conditions. Costa Rica's northern Guanacaste Province was annexed from Nicaragua in one such regional dispute. In 1838, long after the Central American Federation ceased to function in practice, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself sovereign. Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu (September 27, 1783 – July 19, 1824) was Emperor of Mexico from 1822 to 1823. ... Mexico is a country in North America and the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. ... The Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico on two non-consecutive occasions in the 19th century when it was ruled by an Emperor. ... Flag Capital Guatemala City¹ Language(s) Spanish Government Republic History  - Established 1823  - Disestablished May 31, 1838 Currency Central American Republic real ¹ Moved to San Salvador in 1834. ... This is the history of Central America. ... Nickname: Location of San José Canton between provinces Coordinates: , Country Province Canton San José Canton Founded circa. ... Cartago is a city in Costa Rica, about 25 km (15 miles) east of the capital, San José. It is at an elevation of about 1435 m (some 4930 ft) above sea level on the Cartago River, at the base of the Irazú Volcano. ...

Following independence, Costa Rica found themselves with no regular trade routes to get their coffee to European markets. This was compounded by transportation problems - the coffee-growing areas were on the Pacific Coast, and before the Panama Canal was opened, ships from Europe had to sail around Cape Horn in order to get to the Pacific Coast. This was overcome in 1843, when, with the help of William Le Lacheur, a British merchant and shipowner, a regular trade route was established. The Panama Canal is a waterway in Central America which joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. ... Cape Horn from the South. ... William Le Lacheur (born 15 October 1802 Forest, Guernsey, Channel Islands, died 27 June 1863, London), was a Guernsey Sea Captain, who played an important role in the economic and spiritual development of the Central American country of Costa Rica. ...

In 1856, William Walker, an American filibuster began incursions into Central America. After landing in Nicaragua, he proclaimed himself president of Nicaragua and re-instated slavery. He intended to expand into Costa Rica and after entering Costa Rican soil, Costa Rica declared war. Led by Commander in Chief of the Army of Costa Rica, President Juan Rafael Mora Porras, the filibusters were defeated and forced out of the country. Costa Rican forces followed the filibusters into Rivas, Nicaragua, where in a final battle, William Walker and his forces were finally pushed back. Juan Santamaría, a drummer boy who lost his life torching the filibusters' stronghold, was killed in this final battle, and is today remembered as a national hero. William Walker William Walker (May 8, 1824 – September 12, 1860) was a U.S. physician, lawyer, journalist, adventurer, and soldier of fortune who attempted to conquer several Latin American countries in the mid-19th century. ... A filibuster is a private individual who engages in unauthorized warfare against a foreign country, often with the intent of overthrowing the existing government. ... Juan Rafael Mora Porras was President of Costa Rica from 1849 to 1859. ...

Democracy

An era of peaceful democracy in Costa Rica began in 1889 with elections considered the first truly free and honest ones in the country's history.

Costa Rica has avoided much of the violence that has plagued much of Central America. Since the late nineteenth century, only two brief periods of violence have marred its democratic development. In 1917-19, Federico Tinoco Granados ruled as a dictator, and, in 1948, José Figueres Ferrer led an armed uprising in the wake of a disputed presidential election. In 1949, José Figueres Ferrer abolished the army; and since then, Costa Rica has been one of the few countries to operate within the democratic system without the assistance of a military. For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... General José Federico Alberto de Jesús Tinoco Granados (1870-1931) was a President of Costa Rica. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see Army (disambiguation). ...

With more than 2,000 dead, the 44-day Costa Rica Civil War resulting from this uprising was the bloodiest event in twentieth-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 12 presidential elections, the latest in 2006. With more than 2,000 dead, the 1948 44-day civil war was the bloodiest event in 20th-century Costa Rican history. ...

Once a largely agricultural country, the twin pillars of Costa Rica's current economy are technology and eco-tourism. Costa Rica's major source of export income is technology based. Microsoft, Motorola, Intel and other technology related firms have established operations in Costa Rica. Local companies create and export software as well as other computer related products. Tourism is growing at an accelerated pace and many believe that income from this tourism may soon become the major contributor to the nation's GDP. Traditional agriculture, particularly coffee and bananas, continues to be an important contributor to Costa Rica's export income. Land ownership and wealth is widespread and the population enjoys a relatively high standard of living.

See also

• List of Presidents of Costa Rica
• History of the west coast of North America

The following table contains a list of the presidents and heads of state of Costa Rica since Central American independence from Spain and Mexico. ... The west coast of North America consists of the modern American states of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and arguably Alaska and parts of the Yukon. ...

External links

• History of the Republic of Costa Rica from "Costa Rica Handbook" by Christopher Baker
  
• Costa Rican Archaeology
  
• Costa Rican Pre-Columbian City of Guayabo
  
• Brief History of Costa Rica
  

v • d • e History of North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama* · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago* · United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla · Aruba* · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Greenland · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Montserrat · Navassa Island · Netherlands Antilles* · Puerto Rico · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Turks and Caicos Islands · U. S. Virgin Islands
* Territories also in or commonly reckoned elsewhere in the Americas (South America).