Travel to Heredia - Costa Rica - History

Heredia - History

Human habitation can be traced back more than 10,000 years, but it appears that Costa Rica was sparsely populated and was a relative backwater in the pre-Columbian era. There is little sign of major communities and none of the impressive stone architecture that characterized the more advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica to the north and the Andes to the south. When Columbus arrived near Lim¢n on September 18, 1502, on his third and last voyage to the Americas, there were probably no more than 20,000 indigenous inhabitants. They lived in several autonomous tribes, all with distinct cultures and customs. Costa Rica's only major archaeological site is at Guayabo, 30 miles east of San Josè ‚ where an ancient city, dating back to 1000 B.C. and thought to have contained 10,000 people at its peak, is currently being excavated. Many interesting gold, jade and pottery artefacts have been found throughout the region and are on display in several museums in San Josè .

The Indians gave Columbus gold, and he returned to Europe with reports of a plentiful supply of the yellow metal. But the adventurers, who arrived to cash in, found only hostile Indians, swamps and disease for their trouble. Several early attempts to colonize the Atlantic coast failed for the same reasons and, for almost half a century, Costa Rica was passed over, while colonization gathered pace in countries to the north and south. In 1562, the Spanish Main's administrative center in Guatemala sent Juan Vasquez de Coronado to Costa Rica as governor, and Cartago was established as the capital the following year. With no Indian slaves to work the land, the colonists were forced to work the land themselves, scratching out a meagre subsistence by tilling small plots. The impoverished colony grew slowly and was virtually ignored by the Spanish rulers in Guatemala. By the late 18th century, the settlements that would later flourish had been founded, and exports of wheat and tobacco were making economic conditions somewhat better.

Central America gained independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. The news reached Costa Rica a month after the event. The question of whether Costa Rica should join newly independent Mexico, or join a new confederation of Central American states, resulted in a bitter quarrel between the leaders of San Josè and their counterparts in Cartago and Heredia. A brief civil war, in 1823, was won by San Josè , and Costa Rica joined the confederation.

Election of Dr. Rafael Angel Calder¢n Guardia in 1940 - His enlightened policies included land reform, a guaranteed minimum wage and progressive taxation. But when Calder¢n's United Social Christian Party refused to step down after losing the 1948 election, civil war erupted. The anti-Calder¢n forces were led by Josè Maria (Don Pepe).

Don Pepe died in 1990 a national hero, his deeds having set the scene for the social and economic progress that would earn Costa Rica the reputation as a peaceful and stable island of democracy in one of the world's most politically unstable, and often war-torn, regions. When civil war broke out in neighbouring Nicaragua, Costa Rica was drawn reluctantly into the conflict, its northern zone being used as a base, first for Sandinista, and later for "contra" forces. In 1986, a young lawyer named Oscar Arias Sanchez was elected President on the platform of peace. Arias' tireless efforts to promote peace in the region were rewarded when the five Central American Presidents signed his peace plan in Guatemala City in 1987, an achievement that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.

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