History of Costa Rica
The story of how Costa Rica became independent is a little complicated. But even before Costa Rica was colonized, there were a few Indigenous tribes who mainly survived off of hunting and gathering food that lived in Costa Rica.
Christopher Columbus arrived in Costa Rica in 1502 and the country was explored by the Spanish, even while the Indigenous tribes still lived there. Many Indigenous people left because they did not want to surrender to the encomienda system, a system in which the Spanish would force the Indigenous people to work and do their labor for them.
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Costa Rica was colonized from Spain in 1561 and was colonized from 1561-1821, so for about 260-300 years. The country became independent from Spain in 1821, but the whole story is a little complex.
First, Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821 because of the Mexican revolution. Then in 1823, Central America became independent from Mexico and Costa Rica joined the United Provinces of Central America. The United Provinces of Central America disintegrated in 1838 though, and Costa Rica proclaimed independence and sovereignty.
One of the major events that occurred between 1821-2025 was in 1948 when Rafael Angel Calderón attempted to prevent the seating of the president-elect, Otilio Ulate Blanco. José Figueres Ferrer, an outspoken landowner, organized an uprising in support of Ulate, who was democratically elected. Calderón’s forces, despite being backed by Nicaraguan strongman Anastasio Somoza García, surrendered after two months of fighting. Afterward, a junta dominated by Figueres wrote a new constitution which abolished the army, and made Costa Rica a peaceful country and gave women the right to vote.
Rafael Angel Calderón
Otilio Ulate Blanco
José Figueres Ferrer
Anastasio Somoza García
Another major event that happened was in 1968, a man named Oscar Arias Sánchez was elected president. In 1987 he initiated a peace plan calling for a cease-fire in Central America. Sánchez was awarded the Nobel prize for his efforts to make peace that year.
Costa Rica is a very peaceful country now that it has no army, and the country decides to spend its money on education, social programs and healthcare instead of on an army.
Oscar Arias Sánchez