Central Valley Landscape, Costa Rica
Playa Herradura, Central Pacific, Costa Rica, courtesy David Thompson
Rainforest Meets Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica, courtesy Casa Ramon
Playa Herradura, Central Pacific, Costa Rica, courtesy David Thompson
Rainforest Canopy Bridge, Costa Rica
My First View of Costa Rica, courtesy David Thompson
Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
Manuel Antonio Beach, Central Pacific, Costa Rica, courtesy David Thompson
Playa Dominical, South Pacific, Costa Rica, courtesy David Thompson

Cultural Diversity

Cultural Diversity - Faces of the Borucas - Arturo Sotillo

From the Sabanero (cowboy) culture that characterizes the people in Guanacaste who are known for their vivid folkloric traditions and the savannah way of life, to the indigenous cultures that thrive in the foothills of Talamanca where small tribal communities continue to preserve their traditions and arts, and the Caribbean coast where Afro-Caribbean cultures radiate from the rhythm of reggae beats, Calypso music and Creole slang, Costa Rica is eminently rich in cultural diversity. Across the country, distinct sub-cultures co-exist among Mestizos (Spanish Amerindian), Spaniards, and various migrant groups from Asia, Europe and North America, who have all enriched this country with their ethnic traditions and cultural heritage. The Spaniards, being the colonizers of Costa Rica were the first wave of immigrants, followed by Jamaican workers who came to Costa Rica to build the railroad between San José and Puerto Limón, and stayed on to work in the banana plantations in the Atlantic lowlands. Chinese and Italian immigrants followed, so did the ‘Quakers’ from the USA who settled in the Tilaran and Monteverde mountains. The latest wave of migration in recent years saw thousands of Nicaraguan, Salvadorian and Columbian refugees fled to Costa Rica as a result of civil unrests in their countries.

Themes