Rivas, Nicaragua
Will Always Be
Part Of Costa
Rica's History
The year was
1856, the day
April 11, and
the place, Rivas
de Nicaragua,
when the most
important battle
to bring peace
and freedom for
Costa Rica took
place.
It was the day
when a group of
brave Costa
Ricans marched
into Nicaragua
to repel the
filibusters led
by William
Walker
threatened to
take Central
America.
The Costa Rican
army, which made
up mainly of
young farmers,
repelled from
Guanacaste on
March 19, 1856,
a group of armed
men sent by
William Walker
to invade Costa
Rica.
Weeks later,
Costa Rica's
president,
Juanito Mora led
his group of men
into Rivas, a
city in
Nicaragua, not
too far from the
Peñas Blancas
border.
It was there
that the men and
the heroic act
of one, Juan
Santamaría, on
April 11, put an
end to Walker's
plans.
Each year the "Batalla
de Rivas"
(Battle of
Rivas) and the
heroic actions
of one its own
is celebrated in
Costa Rica,
especially in
the schools, who
put on a civic
show every year
in Alajulea and
around the
country.
Costa Ricans,
from a young
age, are told of
the legend of
the heroic
actions of Juan
Santamaría and
the group of
brave men led by
Juanito Mora,
who sealed with
blood Costa
Rica's freedom.
The name Juan
Santamaríais
well used around
the country,
including the
Costa Rica's
main
international
airport and a
park in
Alajuela, where
a statue of the
hero stands in
each location.
Next time you
visit Costa
Rica's Juan
Santamaría (San
José)
international
airport, take a
moment to note
the statue of
the young hero,
erected
immediately to
the left of the
international
arrivals exit. |
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