The first European explorer to encounter Costa Rica was the Christopher Columbus. In 1502 Columbus landed off the coast during his fourth voyage to the New World. His arrival was welcomed and treated with with great hospitality by the indigenous peoples who had never seen white men before. A late explorer by the name of Gil Gonzalex Davila would name the area Costa Rica (Gold Coast) after observiing locals wearing gold in their ears and noses.

While Columbus assumed he had discovered a New World, archaeologists today know that people lived in the region of Costa Rica for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the Spanish. One interesting mystery of the region relates to thousands of round granite balls found on the western coast. The size of these balls range from very small to the size of a small car! Recently the ruins of an ancient city was found in the vacinity of San Jose. Throughout the country discoveries of quality jade and gold work has also been found. Of interest to many relates to the sites found in the Nicoya Peninsula that show influence of both the Olmec and Nahuati civilizations.

Costa Rica has a feel very distinct compared to other former Spanish colonies. The influence of the Spanish in this region was relatively weak due to the tough terrain and of course a lack of precious metals. As such during colonial times the attention of the Spanish where focused on places such as Mexico and Peru.

Mexico rebelled against Spain in 1821. Following Mexico's lead, Costa Rica and the rest of Central America soon followed. Independence followed shortly afterwards.

Military rule did occur off and on during the following years, however the brutality seen in neighboring countries did not happen in Costa Rica. As it turns out many of the military rulers actually promoted many useful and popular social reforms.

The building of the rail line started under Tomas Guardia signifcantly improved Costa Rica's fortunes. The rail line was begun in 1871 with the goal of connecting the central highlands to Puerto Limon. Once completed the rail line helped in terms of travel and the transport of items in the country.

The main turning point in Costa Rica as it relates to political stability came about as a result of the civil war in 1948. After a brief but bloody civil war Jose Maria Figueres Ferrer came to power. Under his leadership Costa Rica saw significant social changes. The military was abolished, women and blacks gained the vote, and presidential terms were limited. These actions set the foundation for once of the more peaceful and prosperous nations found in Latin America today.

In 1987 President Oscar Arias Sanchez won the Nobel Peace Price for his tireless efforts to put an end to the Nicaraguan civil war. His plan brought peace to the region and relative stability to Nicaragua.

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

A2Z Languages highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.