costa rican history
DESCRIPTION
History Presentation on Costa RicaTRANSCRIPT
Costa Rican History
By Sarah McTeague
Basic History Facts
• Columbus explored it in 1502 (4th and final)• Landed in Isla Uvita—now Limon• Nearly 400,000 Indians were inhabiting it
• Costa Rica = Rich Coast• Mineral wealth the Spaniards imagined existed in the
territory
• Among the Spaniards, there was deceit and jeaousy• Combined with the climatic conditions of the Atlantic
region• This limited their establishment of permanent
settlements during the first 3 centuries of the colonial period
• Colonization then began on Pacific side
Basic History Facts
• Spaniards started a slave trade with other parts of the Americas• Panama• Peru
• Also confiscated any gold they could find
• 1561 was first Spanish expedition into the valley
• 1562 Juan Vasquez de Coronado brought men and supplies from Nicaragua to strengthen the settlement• He treated the natives with respect and little
violence, which was successful
Basic History Facts
• Increasing number of white settlers
• Natives were exposed to diseases with no immunity
• Spanish divided the best agricultural lands amongst themselves• Obtained food from natives
• End of 1600’s: farms sold off property to families or divided into smaller farms
• Local migrations out of Cartago to other Central Valley regions, which led to establishment of:• Heredia• San Jose• Alajuela• Escazu
More Recently…
• 1970’s: rising oil prices and inflation hurt economy
• Reduced reliance on coffee, banana, and beef exports
• Tourism is now a huge business and is profitable
• One of the most democratic governments in Latin America• Now is one of the most stable and prosperous
• Oscar Arias Sanchez was elected president in 2006• Won Nobel Peace Prize in 1987—Ended civil wars in El
Salvador and Nicaragua
• November 2008: Central American Free Trade Agreement
• February 2010: Laura Chinchilla was elected—first women president
Holidays• Similar to US:
• New Years Day
• Easter
• Mother’s Day: Aug 15
• Columbus Day
• Christmas Day
• Different than US:
• March 19: St. Joseph’s Day (patron Saint of San Jose)
• September 15: Independence Day (Independence from Spain in 1821)
• November 2: All Soul’s Day
Sources• http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A01074
30.html
• http://www.angelfire.com/bc/gonebirding/colony.html
• http://www.infocostarica.com/culture/holidays.html