Boasting with confidence, Costa Rica has been known to be one of the most democratic and wealthiest Latin American countries. How could a small country with little resources achieve such a claim? Colonized by the Spaniards, Costa Rica was mistaken to be rich in gold and largely populated by Indians. Lacking the focal point for exploitation of economic resources, many Spanish settlers either moved on to Peru or Mexico in hopes for riches or were driven away by the indigenous peoples. This led to the small number of immigrants who settled in Costa Rica. As a result of the many attempts and failures of colonization, Costa Rica experienced little influence as a colony. Due to this lack of imperial control, Costa Ricans can accredit their successful democratic traditions to the colonial times in which Spanish settlers learned to practice independent subsistence which contributed to the development of a classless democracy.

When what is now known as Costa Rica was discovered by the Spaniards, they found the land to be inhabited by several sovereign tribes. Christopher Columbus was the first to arrive on September 18, 1502. In total there were

The evolution from a militaristic nation to a more stable and democratic one, took place through Tomas Guardia´s rule. Ironically, Tomas Guardia came into power and remained there through military force. His reforms were the basis for a much needed democracy. In twelve years he succeeded in controlling the use of the military, amending the Constitution, building several roads and declaring education for both sexes mandatory and free of costs (Klaus 2002). It was Guardia who sought after and had the Atlantic railroad from San Jose to the Caribbean built. Along the railroad, banana plantations were also set up. This paved the way for more economic growth for Costa Rica. These amazing events marked the path for a new democratic era.

During the course of the next two generations, militarism gave way to peaceful transitions of power. A few presidents however did try to amend the constitution to lengthen their terms in office. Costa Ricans typically did not like having President for more than one term, and most were forced to step down. However throughout all this, the country stayed at peace, and the military in its barracks.

In 1562, Juan Vasquez de Coronado came to be governor who continued conquest and exploration of the highlands. With the generous amount of land available to be farmed but no native slave labor to work it, the Spanish settlers farmed their land themselves. Without gold or other export crops, the settlers were unable to trade with other countries. This caused money to become very scarce and Costa Rica remained to be one of the smallest and poorest of the Central American colonies (Baker 2003). With so few immigrants, intermarriage among the Spaniards was the general rule. Some men even took Indian women as wives since there were so few Spanish women (Anderson 13). This allowed for Costa Rica to begin a classless society. Costa Rica became a “rural democracy” with no oppression towards classes or the maltreatment of the Creoles (Baker 2003). Removed from the mainstream of Spanish culture, the Costa Ricans became very individualistic and egalitarian. It was not until the 17th century that their economy began to grow. Made up mostly of subsistence farmers, Costa Rica began to export wheat and tobacco. This helped improve the conditions of the colonists.

Some topics in this essay:
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