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Costa Rica History: Its discovery and conquest

For a unique look into Costa Rica’s past, you can’t do much better than the 1913 book, “History of the discovery and conquest of Costa Rica.” The book is available for free in its entirety and contains an abundance of early-1900s pictures of Costa Rica.

The featured photo shows “Talamanca Indians navigating the Sixaola River,” according to the caption. “With the rest of Costa Rica, Talamanca, as far as its geological formation, fauna, flora and ethnology are concerned, is in perfect harmony,” the book reads.

Map of Ancient Costa Rica
Via the book, “History of the discovery and conquest of Costa Rica.”

Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast contains “the Gulfs of Dulce and Nicoya, the latter of which enjoys the reputation of being one of the most beautiful spots in the world.”

Read the full book here.

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