Colonial Times
A little over 200 years
ago, San Jose was no more than a few muddy streets around
which clustered an assembly of rickety buildings. In 1737
this little village first gained status, when a thatched
habitation was built to draw residents scattered throughout
the valley. Without drawing too much attention, the first
wholesale influx was comprised of Spanish and Creole smugglers,
whom of which spoke Biesanz et al., "having rebelled
against the royal monopoly of commerce by resorting to contraband,
were punished by being 'exiled' from Cartago," the
colonial capitol city formed by Juan Vasquez de Coronado
in 1564. The newly founded settlement was christened Villa
Nueva de la Boca del Monte del Valle de Abra. Later changed
to San Jose, the name of a local patron saint.
Thanks to the merchants'
bold ways, San Jose flourished and quickly grew to the size
of Cartago. By the 1820's, San Jose and Cartago both had
just over 5,000 inhabitants, Heredia half the amount, and
Alajuela a bit over 1,800. Soon San Jose developed into
a lucrative monopoly in the tobacco trade. Tobacco funds
provided a civic building; near the end of the 18th century,
San Jose was crowned with a Cathedral facing a beautiful
park, a currency mint, military quarters and a town council
building.
Independence
In October 1821 news
was passed from Spain to Maceta central; The surprising
announcement was that Costa Rica was an independent country.
Soon the counsels of the four cities sat down to determine
their fate, and a constitution-Pacto de Concordia-inspired
from the 1812 Spanish constitution. Alas, exclaimed historian
Carlos Monge Alfaro, early Costa Rica was not a unified
province, rather a "group of villages separated by
narrow regionalisms." Now the four cities felt and
performed as had the city-states of Ancient Greece. The
aristocratic and restrained traditional leaders of Cartago
and Heredia, with their colonial links, favored annexation
to a Central American federation led by Mexico; the progressively
more republican force of San Jose and Alajuela, convinced
by the revolutionary ideas predominant in Europe, argued
for independence. A bloody struggle for regional control
soon took place.
On April 5, 1823, the
two sides ensued a battle in the Ochomogo Hills. The republican
forces commanded by a former merchant seaman named Gregorio
Jose Ramirez, won victory and then stormed through Cartago.
In a landmark act that set a precedent to be followed in
later years, the civilian hero Ramirez relinquished power
and retired to his farm, then returned to foil a brilliantly
executed army stratagem.
Thus San Jose became
the nations capitol city. It's growing popularity, however,
soon engendered resentment and discontent. In a conciliatory
act in March of 1835, San Jose's leaders offered to rotate
the national capitol among the four cities every four years.
Discontently, the other cities-including Alajuela-had a
thorn in their collective side. In September 1837 they formed
a league, chose a president, and on September 26, attacked
San Jose in an effort to overthrow the Bauilio Carillo government.
The Josefinos won what came to be called La Guerra de la
Liga ("The war of the League"). And so San Jose
has remained the nation's capitol ever since.
By the mid 1800's the
coffee industry was bringing a boom in prosperity, culture,
and refinement to the once-humble village. San Jose developed
a moderate middle class hungry to invest its new found wealth
for the social good. The mud roads became brick highways
illuminated by kerosene lamps. Tramways appeared as well.
San Jose was the third in the world to install electric
lighting for the public. Well ahead of other cities throughout
Europe and North America san Jose installed public telephones.
By the turn of the century, plazas and splendid buildings,
lined with trees catered to the flourishing movement-libraries,
museums, the Teatro Nacional, and gran neoclassical mansions
and middle-class homes-honored the city. Aided by the coffee
income and influenced by he Paris and Crystal Palace Expositions
architects were erecting great monuments and schools built
of imported prefabricated metals.
Of course, the city wasn't
without slum like suburbs formed of puertas
ventanas, tiny workers' houses occupied by several
families. Industrial zones rose on the perimeter of the
urban center. And there were isolated sections populated
by blacks who had defied segregationist laws and settled
in the Meseta Central.
Modern Times
As recently as the 1940's
San Jose still had only 70,000 residents, a mere tenth of
the nations population. After WW II, the capitol city began
to mushroom, growing without constraint, invading neighboring
villages such as Guadalupe and Tibas. Unfortunately, many
many of the city's finest buildings were destroyed by the
demolition crane in post war years. Only to be replaced
by monstrous examples of modern architecture. This haphazard
growth continues as the city continues to grow farther afield
until the suburban districts have begun to meld into the
larger complex. Surrounding hills twinkle at night with
the lights of suburban villages that are slowly becoming
part of the city's fold.
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.
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