Today we celebrate 196 years of the Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya to Costa Rica. So in commemoration of this we bring a bit of history so that you can enjoy this holiday with us.

The Partido de Nicoya was made up of lands located west of the Tempisque River to the Pacific Ocean and north of the Salto River to the La Flor River and Nicaragua Lake, which formed the boundary with the Province of Nicaragua. This territory enjoyed great autonomy, although in civil and administrative matters it depended on the General Captaincy of Guatemala. However, due to the proximity with the Province of Costa Rica, specifically with the populations of Puntarenas, Esparza, Bagaces and Las Cañas, it established commercial relations and a great identification with the way of being of Costa Ricans. Therefore, the Partido de Nicoya during the Colony maintained a very particular status. Because it was a territory that did not belong to Nicaragua or Costa Rica and commercially there were important links with the latter.

In the year of 1812 the Province of Costa Rica had to send a deputy to represent it in the Cortes of Cádiz. Because the Costa Rican population was small, the Province relied on that of the Partido de Nicoya, which joined it temporarily, to have the minimum required to name said representative before the Cortes. With this union, it was possible to appoint the priest Florencio del Castillo as representative of the Province of Costa Rica in the Cortes of Cádiz.

When the Independence of Central America was declared, on September 15, 1821, Nicaragua turned its interest in the Partido de Nicoya. But since this was a country with many internal problems, it did not make it striking for the Nicoyans, which forced them to make a decision and define the future.

Relations with Costa Rica made it possible to join this territory, since the commercial ties were very favorable and the political integration complemented the economic one, which had developed years ago.

At this juncture, the population of the Partido de Nicoya agreed to hold an open council to define their situation. Consequently, they decided to join the Province of Costa Rica on July 25, 1824, under the motto “From the Homeland by our will”, since it was the inhabitants of the Partido de Nicoya who decided to annex the Province of Costa Rica.

Therefore, it is important to emphasize that one should always speak of the Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya to the Province of Costa Rica, never of the annexation of Guanacaste.

Of the Homeland by our will!

Happy July 25th

Source: www.archivonacional.go.cr

Model: Marianne Sovalbarro

Photographer: Ruddy Dávila