Pre-Columbian & Colonial Times

Costa Rica's history differs fundamentally from that of its neighbors — and explains why this small country is so uniquely peaceful and stable.

Pre-Columbian Times (until 1502)

Unlike the Maya in the north or the Inca in the south, there were no great civilizations in Costa Rica. The region was on the border between the Mesoamerican and South American cultural areas — a transition zone where influences from both worlds mixed. Various indigenous peoples — Chorotegas, Huetares, Bribri, Cabécares, Malekus — lived in smaller communities based on hunting, fishing, and agriculture.

Their most significant legacies are the mysterious stone spheres (Esferas de Piedra) of the Diquís culture: perfectly round spheres made of gabbro granite, up to 2.5 meters in diameter and up to 15 tons heavy. How they were made remains a mystery — the prevailing theory suggests they were shaped by controlled heating and chipping with other stones, a process that took months or years. Since 2014, the stone spheres and the archaeological sites of the Diquís Delta have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They can be seen at the Museo Nacional in San José and in situ on the Osa Peninsula (Finca 6).

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, an estimated 400,000 people lived in what is now Costa Rica. Within a century of the conquest, there were fewer than 20,000 — due to introduced diseases, forced labor, and violence.

Colonial Times (1502–1821)

Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean coast near present-day Limón on September 18, 1502 on his fourth and final voyage. He called the land "La Huerta" (The Garden) and was impressed by the golden ornaments of the indigenous inhabitants. Later settlers named it "Costa Rica" — rich coast — in the hope of gold.

The disappointment was great: There was no gold, no silver, no large labor reserves (most indigenous people had died or fled to inaccessible areas). Costa Rica became the poorhouse of the Spanish Empire. The few settlers in the Central Valley had to tend their fields themselves — a circumstance that formed a more egalitarian society than elsewhere in Latin America, where large landowners and slave labor were the norm.

This relative equality — poor, but without extreme hierarchies — shapes Costa Rica to this day. The Ticos are proud that their ancestors were "simple farmers," not conquistadors or large landowners.