No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArts & CultureCosta Rica History: An Ancient Indigenous Uprising

Costa Rica History: An Ancient Indigenous Uprising

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 author describes how a 1709 “uprising of the Indians” burned more than a dozen churches and killed several missionaries who had settled in Costa Rica. In response, with reinforcements from the Audiencia of Guatemala, armed Spanish settlers captured 700 indigenous people, including many chiefs.

“The Spaniards returned with their prisoners, but of these only five hundred arrived at Cartago, for on the road two hundred died or regained their liberty,” the book reads.

The indigenous cacique Pablo Presbere was executed via firing squad in Cartago the following year for his role in the rebellion.

Despite the violent response from the New World settlers, the revolt forced the Spanish to reconsider their missions in the Talamanca region. It took 15 years for the Audiencia of Guatemala to decree the reestablishment of missions in Talamanca.

“Of this great uprising,” the book continues, “the Talamanca Indians still cherish the memory.”

In 1997, the Legislative Assembly celebrated Pablo Presbere as “defender of the freedom of indigenous peoples.”

The featured photo shows Talamanca chiefs, according to the caption, including one who was the son of U.S. geologist William More Gabb and an indigenous woman. Though the photo is undated, Gabb began his work in Costa Rica in 1873.

Read the full book here. (Scroll to page 380 for more on this story.)

This story first appeared in 2019

Trending Now

End of Air Canada Strike Brings Relief for Costa Rica-Bound Passengers

Air Canada flight attendants ended their strike Tuesday after reaching a tentative agreement with the airline, paving the way for flights to resume gradually....

Guatemala Prisons Erupt in Violence With Guards and Workers Taken Hostage

Gang members rioted this Friday in two prisons in Guatemala and took several guards and civilian employees hostage, a week after uprisings in which...

Panama Canal Warns of Traffic Decline as Economic Uncertainty Grows

The Panama Canal will take in about $400 million less in the next fiscal year due to a drop in ship traffic caused by...

FBI Recordings Reveal Costa Rica Ex-Minister Celso Gamboa’s Drug Ties

Costa Rican authorities continue to hold former security minister Celso Gamboa in custody as U.S. officials push for his extradition on drug charges. Recent...

Nicaragua Hosts Historic 2025 AmeriCup Basketball Tournament

The 2025 AmeriCup, the men’s basketball Copa América, tips off this Friday in Nicaragua, marking the most significant international sporting event in the country’s...

Costa Rica Anglers Catch Rare Orange and Albino Nurse Shark

Anglers on a fishing trip off Costa Rica's Caribbean coast caught a nurse shark unlike any seen before: bright orange skin and stark white...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica