Costa Rica’s Independence Torch is set to reach San José and Cartago tonight after coming from Nicaragua yesterday for the annual student relay marking Central American independence. The published schedule calls for the flame to arrive at San José’s Plaza de la Democracia around 6 p.m. before continuing to the Ruins of Cartago around 8 p.m. The celebrations precede Tuesday’s 205th anniversary of independence from Spain.
Costa Rican Education Minister Leonardo Sánchez received the torch from his Nicaraguan counterpart, Mendy Arauz Silva, during the border ceremony at Peñas Blancas yesterday. The flame was then handed to Danny Yoel Jarquín Rodríguez, a 12th-grade student at the Colegio Técnico Profesional de Barrio Irvin in La Cruz, Guanacaste.
Jarquín, who participates in cultural activities and plays competitive handball, began the Costa Rican relay alongside other students. Organizers announced approximately 22,000 student participants and a main route of 378 kilometers, about 235 miles, between Peñas Blancas and Cartago.
The torch passed through La Cruz and Liberia yesterday and today’s itinerary continues from Esparza toward the Central Valley and Cartago. This year’s route includes a detour at Cambronero since The Ministry of Public Education changed the itinerary because of the closure at the modular bridge in that area. The announced route takes participants from the Escuela Carlos María Jiménez to the Piedra Blanca junction, then toward Río Jesús before rejoining Route 1.
The ministry said it coordinated the adjustment with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to protect students, teachers and others accompanying the flame. San José’s reception also has a different setting this year. The official ceremony has moved to Plaza de la Democracia because Parque Central, its usual location, is closed for remodeling. Residents and visitors planning to attend should head to the plaza rather than the central park.
After the national anthem at 6 p.m., the planned route continues toward Cartago through the Fuente de la Hispanidad area and Tres Ríos. Evening arrival times remain estimates, not confirmation of the torch’s progress. The relay coincides with Costa Rica’s traditional September 14 lantern parades. Schools and communities hold civic ceremonies, sing the national anthem and parade with illuminated faroles. The Education Ministry dates the organized school tradition to 1953.
The modern Central American torch relay dates to 1964. It commemorates the spread of the independence announcement across the region, rather than a torch journey that took place in 1821. News of the declaration reached Cartago on October 13 of that year, nearly a month after its signing in Guatemala.
