The Central American independence torch arrived in Costa Rica on Monday morning.
In a small ceremony at the Peñas Blancas border post, Education Minister Guiselle Cruz Maduro received the flame from her Nicaraguan counterpart. She handed the torch to students who will continue its journey toward Cartago:
As is tradition, President Carlos Alvarado on September 14 will receive the torch from a student and light a cauldron with the flames of freedom in Cartago. The following day, Costa Rica celebrates its bicentennial.
The torch is a national symbol representing Central America’s independence.
On September 15, 1821, the Act of Independence of Central America gave the region its freedom from the Spanish empire. The torch symbolizes the journey of the messengers who delivered the news of independence from Guatemala all the way down to Cartago, Costa Rica’s colonial capital.
The establishment of an collaborative independence torch was first suggested in 1964 at a meeting between the education ministers of Central American nations.
You can follow the independence torch’s path and see the location of other commemorative celebrations at: https://antorchavirtual.mep.go.cr/
