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bestowing the name of Costa Rica, “rich coast.” He was fooled by gold pen-
dants some of them wore. Unfortunately for Spanish greed, this jewelry was
the only gold in the region, obtained over many generations of searching
streambeds and from trade with distant sources in Mexico. Early attempts
to farm tobacco and cocoa for export ended in failure. The joke became that
Columbus should have named it Costa Pobre—poor coast. With nothing
to export, few Spanish settlers came. The rugged terrain, lack of navigable
rivers, and the hostility of the natives were further barriers to coloniza-
tion. The locals withdrew to the highlands to escape Spanish attempts to
force them to work on plantations and mines. Many died of European
diseases. Intermarriage produced the mestizos that form the majority
today. Ticos are proud that they have so much European blood. Due to the
colony's poverty, the Spanish did not impose the harsh feudal domination
common in the rest of the New World. In  the 16th and 17th  centuries,
many people owned their own small farms. The colonial overlords based
in Guatemala were remote and paid little attention. Settlers were relatively
free to govern themselves. Municipal councils governed cities, including
the capital.
Independence came in 1821 with little effort. The Napoleonic Wars had
made it nearly impossible for Spain to have contact with the New World.
Spain was allied with France so the British Royal Navy prevented ships
sailing from the Peninsula to the colonies. Furthermore, Army officers and
civilian officials were needed in Europe. In Mexico and South America the
local elites declared their independence from Spain. Even after Napoleon
was defeated in 1815, the Mother Country could not immediately reassert
control. The Spanish army sent to reconquer Mexico was constantly
attacked, and back in Madrid a coup d'etat weakened its resolve. Mexico
became independent in 1821, and Costa Rica simply declared its own
independence. There was no fighting on its soil.
Ticos brag of their emerging democracy of the 19th century with yeoman
farmers and urban merchants and artisans. Rural laborers were well paid.
The coffee crop, introduced about 1740, was typically grown by small
farmers. That idyllic picture is partly a myth. Coffee was also cultivated
on big estates as well as family farms. The large growers came to dominate
the export trade. Wealthy investors from home and abroad invested in
railroads. Foreign fruit companies established banana plantations, for
example, the United Fruit Company. Income disparities increased. The
rural elite and big city merchants dominated the government. An army
was created and grew large.
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