Costa Rica's distance from the capital in Guatemala, its legal prohibition under Spanish law against trading with its southern neighbors in Panama, then part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (i.e., Colombia), and the lack of resources such as gold and silver, resulted in Costa Rica attracting few inhabitants. In practice it operated as a largely autonomous entity within the Spanish Empire. ĭuring most of the colonial period, Costa Rica was the southernmost province of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, which was nominally part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (i.e., Mexico). Numerous subsequent Spanish expeditions followed, eventually leading to the first Spanish colony in Costa Rica, Villa Bruselas, founded in 1524. The colonial period began when Christopher Columbus reached the eastern coast of Costa Rica on his fourth voyage on September 18, 1502. Violent uprising of Indians in Talamanca region, 1709 CE. In the years soon after European encounter, many of the people died due to infectious diseases, such as measles and smallpox, which were endemic among the Europeans but to which they had no immunity. The indigenous people have influenced modern Costa Rican culture to a relatively small degree. The Diquis culture flourished from 700 CE to 1530 CE and were well known for their crafts in metal and stonework. The central and southern portions of the country belonged to the Isthmo-Colombian cultural area with strong Muisca influences, as these were part of territories occupied predominantly by speakers of the Chibchan languages. The Nicoya culture was the largest cacicazgo on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The northwest of the country, the Nicoya Peninsula, was the southernmost point of Mesoamerican cultural influence when the Spanish conquerors came in the sixteenth century. In Pre-Columbian times, the native peoples in what is now Costa Rica were divided in two cultural areas due to its geographical location in the Intermediate Area, between the Mesoamerican and the Andean cultural regions. The first settlers had to adapt to hunting smaller animals and develop appropriate strategies to adjust to the new conditions. These became extinct about 8,000 years before the modern era. Their diet consisted of megafauna, such as giant armadillos and sloths, mastodons, etc. They were organized in family-based bands of about 20 to 30 members. All this suggests the possibility that in this area two different cultures coexisted. The oldest evidence of human occupation in Costa Rica is associated with the arrival of groups of hunter-gatherers about 10,000 to 7,000 years BC, with ancient archaeological evidence ( stone tool making) located in the Turrialba Valley, at sites called Guardiria and Florence, with matching quarry and workshop areas with presence of type clovis spearheads and South American inspired arrows. Costa Rica is facing problems of underemployment, foreign and internal debt, and a trade deficiency. Although poverty has declined since the turn of the 21st century, economic problems still exist. Today, Costa Rica is a democracy that relies on technology and eco-tourism for its economy. Īfter the Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, the government drafted a new constitution, guaranteeing universal suffrage and the dismantling of the military. In 1856, Costa Rica resisted United States settlers from mounting a take-over of the government.Īfter 1869, Costa Rica established a democratic government. Its economy struggled due to lack of connections with European suppliers. Costa Rica was part of the Federal Republic of Central America in 1813, before gaining full independence in 1821. During this period, Costa Rica remained sparsely developed and impoverished.įollowing the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821), Costa Rica became part of the independent Mexican Empire in 1821. For the next 300 years, Costa Rica was a colony of Spain.Īs a result, Costa Rica's culture has been greatly influenced by the culture of Spain. He incorporated the territory into the Captaincy General of Guatemala as a province of New Spain in 1524. His forces overcame the indigenous people. Ĭhristopher Columbus first dropped anchor in Costa Rica in 1502 at Isla Uvita. The first indigenous peoples of Costa Rica were hunters and gatherers, and when the Spanish conquerors arrived, Costa Rica was divided in two distinct cultural areas due to its geographical location in the Intermediate Area, between Mesoamerican and the Andean cultures, with influences of both cultures. Historical development of Costa Rica Typical settlement of the Diquis indigenous people before the arrival of Columbus.
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