Florblanca celebrated Independence Day on July 25th, the day that Nicoya officially became a part of Costa Rica. For the occasion, our staff dressed in traditional clothing and we enjoyed authentic dishes served up by Nectar Restaurant.
Here is a quick history lesson outlining the independence of Central America from Spain and how the Nicoya Peninsula joined Costa Rica.
The Annexation of Nicoya
In 1821 when Central America declared its independence from Spain, the territories were divided into 5 Provinces: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. They banded together as the Federation of Central America. Nicoya was considered part of Nicaragua. However, Nicaragua was involved in many civil wars at the time and was somewhat hostile to the Nicoyans. Residents of Nicoya because of their location were closer with the Costa Rican cities of Puntarenas, Esparza, Bagaces and Cañas. Costa Rica was also stable politically and already had developed a trading relationship with Nicoya. Because of this close relationship, the Costa Rica government invited Nicoya to join their country. The Nicoyans agreed. As Costa Rica was not officially a republic at the time, legislatures presented a formal petition to the Federation of Central America. July 25th 1824, Nicoya officially became part of Costa Rica.‘Guanacastecos’ as the residents of this part of the country are known, take pride in being part of Costa Rica. Their motto is ‘de la patria por nuestra voluntad’, which translates to ‘part of this country by our own choice’.
This annexation by choice illustrates one of Costa Rica’s core values – democracy , also possess a deeper meaning and reinforce the following Costa Rican cultural ideals: the love of music and dance, courtship rites, gender roles, and their peace-loving attitude.
To commemorate this day, Florblanca served up “cafe chorreado” this morning as well as some dishes for lunch using traditional ingredients.
Happy Independence Day!
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