| Costa Rica is a unique country, particularly in Central | | | | had optimistically named the area "the Rich Coast", this |
| America. If you are considering a vacation in this | | | | dream was never realized. The area became an |
| fascinating land, you should probably know a bit about | | | | agricultural based and extremely poor part of the |
| the country. | | | | greater Spanish province. It is this early poverty and |
| In the pre-Columbian era, Costa Rica was located at | | | | separation from the emerging slave dependent |
| the junction between the great early Indian cultures of | | | | plantation aristocracy that is said to have fostered the |
| the area. These were the Mesoamerican to the north | | | | egalitarian nature of the Costa Rican people that has |
| and the Andean culture to the South. Although little is | | | | continued to this day. |
| known of the political history of this long forgotten time, | | | | In 1821, Costa Rica declared its independence from |
| it can be assumed that it was not always a location | | | | Spain. It became, for a short time, one of the |
| that lent itself to a peaceful existence as any | | | | Federated States of Central America, but as this union |
| expansion of either culture had to pass through what | | | | broke up, it became a sovereign nation in 1838. The |
| was to become Costa Rica. | | | | history for the next 100 years was little different from |
| Columbus made the first European landfall in the area | | | | the violent history of its neighbors during the period. It |
| of Costa Rica during his fourth and final voyage in | | | | was involved in border disputes, and in 1856 repulsed |
| 1502. In 1522, Spanish settlement began and before the | | | | an invasion by the American filibuster, William Walker, |
| end of the century, the native people had been | | | | who had already conquered Nicaragua in hopes of |
| conquered. The impact of the arrival of Europeans had | | | | founding a slave empire. |
| an even greater impact among the indigenous | | | | In 1949, there was a major and violent civil war that |
| population than was seen elsewhere. The native | | | | resulted in over 2000 deaths. The cause of the war |
| population was virtually wiped out by disease and | | | | was a coup following a disputed election. This was |
| warfare and very quickly. Today, only a small | | | | something very common in Central American history, |
| percentage of the population of Costa Rica is of | | | | but the violence shocked the country and led to a firm |
| indigenous descent. Also, almost none of the population | | | | commitment to democracy. The new Constitution |
| is of slave descent either, simply because there were | | | | abolished the army and Costa Rica became the first |
| no people left to enslave. | | | | nation in the world to do so by Constitutional decree. |
| The country became part of the Spanish ruled | | | | Half a century of peaceful democracy has resulted, |
| province and remained under so for nearly three | | | | and established Costa Rica as a progressive leader in |
| centuries. Although the Spanish had hoped to find | | | | the World search for human rights and peace. |
| great riches there in the form of gold and treasure and | | | | |