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.
Spanish Abroad, Inc. 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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