Centuries ago, friendly natives of this area presented Christopher Columbus and other explorers with gifts of gold. As a result, this land bridge between North and South America became known as Costa Rica or "rich coast.". Recorded history tends to begin with Christopher Columbus, who stayed for 17 days in 1502, and was so impressed by the gold decorations worn by the friendly locals he promptly dubbed the country Costa Rica, 'the rich coast'. Despite the lure of untold wealth, colonization was slow to take hold and it took nearly 60 years for the Spanish settlers to make a dent in the tangled jungle. Once the process had started, however, Costa Rica , like its similarly colonized neighbors, suffered the effects of European invasion. The indigenous population did not have the necessary numbers to resist the Spanish, and their populations dwindled quickly because of susceptibility to European diseases.

The day Columbus landed on what is today called "Isla Uvita", in front of Puerto Limón, more than a quater of a million people and no less than eight different ethnic groups were living in the area. The northern cultures of Costa Rica (Chorotegas) had great influence from the Aztec and Maya culture, they were the southernmost culture of what is known as Mesoamerica . The Chorotegas spoke the Nahuatl language from the Mayas and Aztecs.

Other ethnic groups like the Boruca, Bribri, Cabecar, Guaymi, Huetar and Guatuso spoke a language that had its roots in the great continent to the south. This language became more complex as the Arawak and Caribe cultures moved into permanent settlements on the Caribbean Coast adding their sounds.

Very few words are left today for the common use, some of these words are: Talamanca (place of blood) this probably for the butchering of turtles on the Caribbean Coast . Poas (Volcano) is a buttery yellow flowers that grows near the volcano's summit.

The Bribris and the Cabecars are the only two cultures that have been able to keep religious myths pure, outside of major influences from social and cultural changes. The very strength of "Sibú", supreme god and creator of their universe is running strong through the minds of all those who call themselves Cabecar / Bribri after five hundred years of change and more than twenty generations of story telling in a world built around a more overpowering religion.

Today, the Chorotega's ceramics, the Bribri's jicaro, the Guaymi's textiles and the Guatuso's stonework are still telling us stories. Today's replicas or reproductions are as genuine as the originals. Lines and colors tell stories, show beliefs, relate myths, and warrant reverence for what's sacred. The only difference is age. Clay, paints, materials, methods of production are identical to those used a thousand years ago. (When you come to Costa Rica , you could start your visit by touring our museums: Museo Nacional, Museo de Jade y Museo de Oro. These three tours will prepare you to understand our country better in terms of archeological and historical overviews.) Costa Rica , to its everlasting good fortune, was the most neglected of colonial Central America, mainly because it was farthest from the colonial governors based in Guatemala . As large-scale colonization began elsewhere, only 330 Spanish colonists claimed lands in Costa Rica by 1611, because it had neither of the two things the Spanish conquistadors wanted : mineral wealth (gold and silver), or an abundant Indian population to work their haciendas.

The absence of minerals and indigenous workers meant that settlers work their own land and there was plenty of it to go around for centuries to form a huge middle class of farmers.

Costa Rica is different from the rest of Central America, indeed from the rest of Latin America , because its people distribute their wealth, land, and power far more equitably.  Its social welfare system and parliamentary democracy have no equal. This is not a new development, rather it is the result of an enduring consolidation and depending social patterns that originate from the earliest colonial days, and the result of unique geographical and cultural factors.

Costa Rica is one of the oldest democracies in the Americas . Since the civil war of 1948, the country has no standing army; in fact, the Constitution expressly forbids, it giving Costa Rica the fame of 'the only country which doesn't have an army'.

During the last 50 years Costa Rica has established a well-developed conservation system, not only nature wise, but also regarding its social and cultural wealth. As early as 1948, a free compulsory educational system was consolidated, resulting in a literacy rate of over 93%. Almost 90% of all high school students attend public institutions, and the four most prestigious universities are still public. Generous government budgets provide medical coverage for every working citizen, resulting in an extremely low infant mortality rate and average life expectancy of over 70 years.