For many years, the monument stood in Alajuela’s Prospero Fernandez Park, but after the piece was vandalized, it was moved to the sculpture garden at the Museum of Costa Rican Art in La Sabana Park.
School children fidgeted in plumed marching band uniforms and historical costumes in the Alajuela sun as elected officials and ministers spoke in the shadow of the statue of Costa Rican folk hero Juan Santamaría on Friday, a sharp contrast from the violent protests that interrupted the holiday last year over the troubled San Ramón highway concession.
According to legend, Santamaría lost his life, but he managed to set the fortification on fire, turning the tide of the battle and resulting in Central America’s victory over invading filibusteros. To commemorate the spikey-haired martyr, Costa Ricans celebrate Juan Santamaría Day on April 11.
