Liberia, Costa Rica

Liberia has been nicknamed la ciudad blanca (the white city) due to the white gravel that was once used to make the city's roads and the whitewashed colonial houses that used to make up a large part of the city.

History

Modern-day Liberia was founded as a hermitage without any legal or formal act of foundation on 4 September, 1769. It was in a strategic location where the roads from the towns of Rivas, Bagaces, and Nicoya met. The hermitage was used primarily as a place of rest by travelers. The area's giant guanacaste trees provided shade for travelers and livestock, and over time the area became known as Guanacaste (El Poblado de Guanacaste).

The settlement itself shares a history with Nicaragua and Costa Rica. In 1812, the Cortes of Cádiz created a single autonomous province covering Nicaragua and Costa Rica, with its capital in León. Nicaragua and Costa Rica achieved independence from Spain on 15 September, 1821 after the Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence. After the short-lived First Mexican Empire (1821–1823), Costa Rica (considered a minor provincial outpost at the time) became part of the newly formed Federal Republic of Central America in 1823. The Partido de Nicoya (Nicoya's Party) served as an administrative unit for the Federal Republic of Central America. The Partido de Nicoya comprised much of the territory that today is the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Most of the area, such as the settlements of Nicoya and Santa Cruz, held economic ties to Costa Rican territory such as the growing port of Puntarenas. The settlement of Guanacaste (modern day Liberia), on the other hand, held closer economic ties to Nicaraguan territory like the town of Rivas.

Under the leadership of the villages of Nicoya and Santa Cruz, the Partido de Nicoya voted to annex themselves to Costa Rica on 25 July, 1824.

The inhabitants of Guanacaste (modern day Liberia) chose to continue to be part of Nicaragua in 1824. In 1826, after years of dispute, the congress of the Federal Republic of Central America added Guanacaste (modern day Liberia) to Costa Rica.

The village of Guanacaste grew in importance and gradually overtook Nicoya as the area's most important settlement. On 23 July 1831, Guanacaste was renamed Villa de Guanacaste. On 3 September 1836, it was renamed Ciudad de Guanacaste.

In 1838, after the Federal Republic of Central America began to dissolve, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself an independent country. On 7 December 1848 Costa Rica divided its national territory into provinces, cantons, and districts. The territory encompassing Nicoya, Bagaces, Santa Cruz, Guanacaste (modern day Liberia), and Cañas became part of the newly formed province of Guanacaste.

On 30 May 1854, a government decree changed the name of the City of Guanacaste (Ciudad de Guanacaste) to the City of Liberia (Ciudad de Liberia). The name of the province of Guanacaste was changed to Moracia in honor of then Costa Rican president Juan Rafael Mora Porras.

In August 1859, Juan Rafael Mora Porras was overthrown in a coup d'état orchestrated by Jose Maria Montealegre. On 20 June 1860, during Montealegre's presidency, the province's name was switched back from Moracia to Guanacaste. Montealegre kept the name City of Liberia but saw it unfit to keep a province named after a political enemy.

Today, the Annexation of Guanacaste is celebrated annually on 25 July. Liberia holds a festival with folk dances, parades, cattle shows, local food, and other local traditions. Music is a big part of the festival and the traditional "marimba" is widely heard. A parade takes place in the centre of the city at which children wear masks and costumes.

Liberia's importance continued to grow and it became a major center for agriculture and livestock. The construction of the Pan-American Highway increased its importance and the commerce through the city. By the late 20th century, Liberia had become a major stopping point for tourists traveling to the Pacific Coast beaches of Guanacaste.

Today Liberia and the province of Guanacaste accept 25 July 1824 as their annexation day to Costa Rica.