Arte y Cultura: Costa Rica!

A tiny land formed by volcanoes, between two enormous continents, and between the world’s two largest oceans, Costa Rica has largely been left to create its own place and destiny in the world. Sometimes called the Switzerland of the Americas for its mountainous beauty, progressive social policies, and peaceful nature, Costa Rica today is a favored destination for tourists from around the world. Not endowed with gold and other mineral resources as originally thought by the Spaniards who dubbed it the Rich Coast, the people who have inhabited this land have forged their own unique path. This is their story.
Costa Rica’s early history was remote from the major civilizations of North America and South America, although it had sporadic contacts with them. When the Spanish arrived, the land was sparsely populated, its resources were of minimal interest to the conquerors, and it was distant from the government the Spanish established in Guatemala. Few slaves were brought to the country and the large, landed estates of other parts of the Empire never developed in Costa Rica. Over time, however, its landscape, history, culture, and politics combined to make it a unique country in Latin America. Today, Costa Rica prioritizes the education, health, and welfare of its citizens over military strength; it fosters leadership in conservation of natural resources; and it is building a diversified economy based on agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and service-based industries.

Slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia in the United States and roughly the size of Denmark in Europe, Costa Rica today is home to about 5.1 million people.

Mar de Noche (Beach at Night) Marité Vidales Acrylic on Canvas 2000 Loan from Marité Vidales and Pablo Zuniga