A Series of Books and CDs Were Created to Document the Distinct Guanacaste Culture.

Guanacaste is home to sabaneros — Costa Rica’s very own cowboys — unique history, and special traditions that reflect the province’s rich, diverse heritage. The Papagayo Tourism Project, in addition to several interested guanacastecos, have recently made efforts to protect and promote northwestern Costa Rica’s culture and the identity of its people.

Before Spanish arrival, Guanacaste was home to the Chorotega, Corobici, and Nahua (or Aztecan) Native Americans. These peoples are renowned for their beautiful pottery, which today graces many of the country’s finest museums. When the Spanish arrived in 1519, many natives were sold into slavery. In turn, the Spanish also brought Nicaraguan and Honduran slaves into Guanacaste, to farm and work on the area’s lucrative haciendas. Even with this additional help, there were too few people to sustain agricultural production in such an arid region, and so Guanacaste adjusted, easing into cattle ranching.

In 1821, the Central American colonies declared their independence from Spain, and Guanacaste became part of the new country of Nicaragua. On July 25, 1825, Nicoya, Santa Cruz, and Cañas declared their independence from Nicaragua, choosing to be a part of Costa Rica. On March 20, 1856, Guanacaste took part in the famous Santa Rosa battle, where the American would-be conqueror, William Walker, was defeated and run out of the region. In 1958, the annexation of Guanacaste was granted official recognition, and boundary lines were changed.

Guanacaste is a melting pot of Native American, Spanish, Nicaraguan, and Honduran influence, and its rich history has helped create deeply rich culture. The Papagayo Tourism Project, which will invest approximately $287 million in the region before 2027 and includes the Four Seasons’ Costa Rica property, has the province’s culture and traditions at heart. Creciendo Juntos (Growing Together), the project’s community development program, will work to strengthen formal and informal education, leadership, community development, and the preservation of sociocultural and environmental values.

Creciendo Juntos has focused its goal on the communities of Carrillo, Bahía Culebra, Guardia and El Triunfo de Liberia. The project has helped to create several small businesses, including the popular Papagayo Folkloric Dance Group. In addition, the project strives to provide better education for the region’s children, focusing on traditions as well as typical school subjects.

Creciendo Juntos has also helped to further honor Guanacaste’s heritage by partnering with the University of Costa Rica to publish four books and two CDs, which have just become available. The four books, written by Guanacastecan authors Hernán Gutiérrez and Juan Santiago Quirós, chronicle Guanacaste’s unique legends and stories, the region’s take on marimba music, and much more. The two new CDs, with music from Raziel Acevedo, Álvaro Guevar, and Abel Guadamuz, showcase typical music, Guancastecan sounds, and embody the spirit and soul of this important province.

Together with Guanacaste’s own, Creciendo Juntos strives to preserve the region’s history, music, literature, and cultural heritage for generations to come. To purchase the books or music, or to find out how to help, call 8363-6961 or 2690-0507 (Spanish recommended).

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Filed under: Costa Rican Music, Travel on August 8th, 2008