Anniversario de la Batalla De Rivas,
A National Holiday
For many Costa Ricans today, Tuesday April 11, is just another day off work and of no great significance.

However, for many more, today's national holiday commemorates the 1856 victory of the country's peasants over the American confederate, William Walker and his army.

Walker had planned to enslave Central American countries in the name of the Southern Confederacy. He had already taken over the Nicaraguan government in 1855 and declared himself president of that nation, and entered Costa Rica next.

The president of Costa Rica, Juan Rafael Mora, raised an army consisting mainly of farmers armed with machetes. They the mercenary army led by William Walker from Guanacaste's Hacienda Santa Rosa on March 20, 1856, the filibusters were chased back across the border into Nicaragua, where the Costa Ricans clashed again with the mercenaries in a decisive battle in the town of Rivas on April 11, 1856.

It was during this encounter that Costa Rica's only National War Hero (at least the only Costa Rican to have a national holiday declared in his honour), Juan Santamaría, gained his martyrdom.

A young man from the town of Alajuela, Juan was a drummer boy in the country's impromptu militia, but his moment of bravery came when the commanding officer asked for a volunteer to set fire to El Mesón de Guerra - the building the filibusters had made their stronghold.

Juan, torch in hand, fulfilled his patriotic duty, but it cost him his life.

Although Costa Rica was victorious in the Battle of Rivas, the country was not back to normal. Because the bodies of the dead were not buried in Rivas but were just thrown into the wells, the city experienced a huge outbreak of cholera from the contamination.

The troops brought the disease home to Costa Rica with them where it ravaged the entire country, killing a one tenth of the population. Mora was blamed for the outbreak and for the other economic problems, and was taken out of power in 1859.

The Battle of Rivas marked the beginning of the end for Walker.

With militant opposition from Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and even from within Nicaragua, Walker abandoned Central America and left behind most of his weak army in May 1857.

He returned to the United States as a hero, giving speeches to masses of people, had poetry and songs written abut his exploits in Nicaragua.

Walker returned to Nicaragua briefly, but was captured and brought home by the United States. Once again he was tried and found not guilty of filibustering and, three years later, tried again in Central America.

He was quickly captured, this time it was by the British, who turned him over to the authorities of Honduras. The Hondurans quickly executed him in 1860.

This year the holiday is being celebrated on Monday April 17. All holidays falling mid-week are now moved to the following Monday.