Costa Rica, lacking an army since 1948, doesn’t have many war heroes. The most notable exception is Juan Santamaría, a poor drummer boy from Alajuela. Celebrated every year…
April 11 is Juan Santamaría Day, a Costa Rican holiday to remember the Battle of Rivas in 1856 and the heroic action of Juan Santamaría, a common…
“Heroes 1856” is Costa Rica's first-ever original rock opera, but this innovation is rooted in the past: It stars a large group of young musicians, singers and…
Costa Rica fetes its first and most-loved national hero, Juan Santamaría, on Saturday, April 11. His name adorns the international airport in his native Alajuela, and schoolchildren across…
School vacations are a time for camping, sleepovers with friends, and visits to museums. In Alajuela this year, kids were able to do all three together. The…
Every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. five figures from Costa Rica's past lead tours through Alajuela's Juan Santamaría Museum and Cultural Center. The…
The bronze sculpture is heavy, but weightier still is its significance: "El Monumento al Agricultor" ("Monument to the Farmer") shows a man and woman bent over their…
This Friday's celebration Juan Santamaría Day in Alajuela stood in sharp contrast to the violent protests that interrupted the event last year over the troubled San Ramón…
Juan Santamaría Day One hundred fifty-eight years ago, a young Costa Rican soldier named Juan Santamaría volunteered to singlehandedly attack a compound of slave-holding mercenaries. According to…
