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History
Mystery shrouds pre-Columbian Costa Rica: Few
archaeological monuments and no proof of a written
language have ever been discovered.
Recorded history
tends to begin with Christopher Columbus, who stayed
for 17 days in 1502, and was so impressed by the
gold decorations worn by the friendly locals he
promptly dubbed the country Costa Rica, 'the rich
coast'.
Despite the lure of untold wealth, colonization was slow to take hold and it took
nearly 60 years for the Spanish settlers to make a
dent in the tangled jungle. Once the process had
started, however, Costa Rica, like its similarly-colonized
neighbours, suffered the effects of European
invasion.
The indigenous population did not have the
necessary numbers or organization to resist the
Spanish, and their populations dwindled quickly
because of susceptibility to European diseases.
| Adding to its initial ignominy, the hoped for hoards
of gold never materialized and Costa Rica remained a
forgotten backwater for many years. The 18th century
saw the establishment of settlements such as Heredia,
San José and Alajuela but it was not until the
introduction of coffee in 1808 that the country
registered on the radars of the 19th-century
white-shoe brigade and frontier entrepreneurs
looking to make a killing. Coffee brought wealth, a
class structure, a more outward-looking perspective,
and most importantly independence. |
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A bizarre turn of events in 1856 provided one of the
first important landmarks in the nation's history
and served to unify the people. During the term of
coffee-grower-turned-president Juan Rafael Mora, a
period remembered for the country's economic and
cultural growth, Costa Rica was invaded by US
military adventurer William Walker and his army of
recently captured Nicaraguan slaves. Mora organized
an army of 9000 civilians that, against all odds,
succeeded in forcing Walker & Co to flee.
The ensuing years of the 19th century saw power
struggles among members of the coffee-growing elite
and the institution of the first democratic
elections which has since been a hallmark of Costa
Rican politics. Civil war, however, did raise its
ugly head in the 1940s when ex-president Calderón
and his successor, Picado, lined up against the
recent ballot-winner Ulate (whose election win was
not recognized by Picado's government) and José
Figueres. After several weeks of warfare Figueres
emerged victorious, formed an interim government and
handed the presidency to Ulate.
The constitution of 1949 finally gave women and
blacks the vote and, controversially, dismantled the
country's armed forces - giving Costa Rica the
sobriquet of 'the only country which doesn't have an
army'.
President Oscar Arias received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1987 for his attempts to spread Costa
Rica's example of peace to the rest of Central
America. The peace has, in recent years, been
disturbed by upheavals of a different kind.
In July
1996, Hurricane César resulted in several dozen
deaths and the cutting off of much of southern Costa
Rica from the rest of the country.
The Interamericana Highway was closed for about two
months and the overall damage was estimated at about
US$100 million. The ill-famed Hurricane Mitch of
November 1998 caused substantial damage to Costa
Rica, but the most catastrophic events occurred in
the countries to the north, especially Honduras,
Nicaragua and El Salvador.
In February 1998 the Social Christian Unity Party's
Miguel Angel Rodríguez won the presidency with
almost exactly 50% of the vote. A conservative
businessman who made the economy his priority, he
went on to privatize state companies and encourage
foreign investments in an effort to create jobs.
By
the time the February 2002 elections rolled around,
however, ticos were mumbling about a lack of
government transparency and shady deals between
political mates. These grass-roots misgivings
resulted in a 'no win' election, and pollsters
returned to the ballot box in April 2002.
Rodríguez's successor, Abel Pacheco of the
conservative Social Christian Unity Party, was
elected to step up to the president's ring.
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