Population and Settlement
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Costa Rica population in 1950
The population in Costa Rica in 1950 was very young, there were many people ages zero to four. Many people did not live to be older than eighty, the population decreased with age. The distribution of men and women was very equal. The older people got the population decreased tremendously. Costa Rica population in 2015
The population in Costa Rica in 2015 was more diverse than in 1950, the ages were much more equally distributed for both men and women. More people were also living longer, and there were not as many births. This is largely because of the innovations in technology. The birth control resources were made more available to women, so there were not as many children. People are also living longer because there are more health resources for people to live a longer and healthier life. This map shows the languages that are spoken in Costa Rica, this also shows where the native Costa Rican people still reside. The areas where the indigenous languages are spoken are where the native people live.
Languages of Costa Rica. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://archive.ethnologue.com/16/show_map.asp?name=CR |
This map shows Christopher Columbus's journey across the Atlantic Ocean, it was his fourth journey but his first to Costa Rica. Columbus was the first Spaniard to make his way to this land, however he did not settle here when he came over.
1502 – Columbus' Fourth and Final Voyage. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://www.crossingtheoceansea.com/OceanSeaPages/OS-79-Columbus4thVoyage.html |
Settlement in Costa Rica
Before Spain’s Settlement
Long before Columbus
Before Christopher Columbus discovered Costa Rica there were people who had been living there for over ten thousand years prior to his arrival. On the East side of the country there has been evidence of cities that existed long before the Spaniards made their way to the country, these cities were long before the tribes that were there when Columbus found Costa Rica. There is evidence that although many people had not settled in this country, they had traveled through, as it was between Mesoamerica and the Andes. This was a migration path for many people long before anyone settled in these areas, the tribes that did settle are likely to be people who decided to end their migration journey through Costa Rica early.
Columbus’s Voyage
Christopher Columbus was the first person to travel west and find Costa Rica; he reached the Eastern side of the country in 1502 on September 18th. There were many horrendous storms, so Columbus and his crew docked ashore and got a taste of the villages around them over 17 days, they discovered how wonderful the native people of this land were, they were treated greatly. Columbus and his crew believed that they would easily be able to settle in this land and take over. They believed that the natives of Costa Rica were very friendly and welcoming, and had a lot of precious jewels such as gold.
Native Tribes
Before Columbus arrived there were four large native tribes in Costa Rica, the Caribs, Borucas, Chibchas, and Diquis. These tribes were spread throughout the country, with the Caribs on the East side of the country, and the Borucas, Chibchas, and Diquis all resided on the Southwest side of the country. All four of these tribes shared many characteristics, they were nomadic hunters and fishermen, and they nurtured many different plants that were native to the land, land animals, and sea animals. These tribes lived in huts that they had built in their villages, generally there were very large huts that would house many people. Some of the tribes had very advanced systems in which they had slaves working. Many of these native villagers were also goldsmiths. Much of the wealth in the country was traded; people from these tribes had different goods that they specialized in making, finding, or catching. They would trade with other tribes for what they needed, keeping the wealth very spread out. Upon the arrival of the Spanish people there were about two hundred thousand native people. When the Spaniards took over these tribes quickly dissolved, some people fled the country whereas others did not make it due to the deadly diseases that they were not immune to that were brought over by the Spanish people. Today one percent of the population in Costa Rica is descendants of the four major tribes of Costa Rica, these people are known as Ticos.
Resources
Costa Rica was not the main place ruled by the Spanish people that they wanted to live; they were more drawn to Peru and Mexico where they were seeking gold and silver. There were not desired resources in Costa Rica like in other lands. Coffee was and still is the most desirable resource in Costa Rica; the coffee barons believed that they had the highest reigns in the country.
Spain’s Settlement
Settlement Attempts During the 1500s and 1600s
In 1502 the governor of Spain, Diego de Nicuesa, was sent by Kind Ferdinand to settle Costa Rica. When the Governor got to the land he was shocked because the people were nothing like what Columbus had described. The natives treated the Spaniards horribly because of the many rough times they had been through since Columbus was there. These people did not want new people settling in their land, these tactics worked and the governor left. The governor in 1562, named Juan Vasquez de Coronado set sail on his journey to Costa Rica to give settlement another attempt. This time, the attempt ended in a success. The governor moved the Spanish settlers to Cartago where the climate was good for growing their crops. The cultural environment dramatically changed after Columbus, the plantations at first started failing because they were not adjusted to the way that the Spaniards would change their way of harvesting. Eventually the fields became very successful and trade became a very important factor in living in Costa Rica. Trade then became illegal because Spain decided to close the ports for trade because of stealing by the English in 1665.
Mexico in 1821 and its affect on Costa Rica
In 1821 Mexico tried to separate from Spain’s ruling, Central America countries including Costa Rica took sides with Mexico. A few years later began a rumble in Costa Rica, caused by one of the major cities wanting to combine their country to be a part of Mexico. There were several major cities in Costa Rica that did not like this, and a war began between the civilians of Costa Rica. Eventually the cities came to peace after the capital city, San Jose, and its nearby city of Alajuela defeated the cities that wanted to combine their country with Mexico.
Ruling
Juan Mora Fernandez was elected Head of State in 1824; he was largely responsibly for all of the coffee industries that are in Costa Rica, the bosses of these coffee plantations then conquered the first president of this country, Jose Maria Castro who worked with Juan Rafael Mora. The Costa Ricans, under Juan Rafael Mora’s guidance were able to reject William Walker from North America as a conqueror. Walker believed the all of Central America should belong to the United States as a land of field full of slave workers. He had a small army of about 50 people, they had previously entered Mexico in hopes of conquering where they were rejected and sent back to the United States. They then went onto Panama with the same conquering hopes; they were more successful there but eventually were rejected. Their exits of Panama lead them to Costa Rica. After being rejected from Costa Rica he did not give up and moved onto Honduras, it was in Honduras that Walker was captured and executed.
Military
Costa Rica has never had a steady military; they currently do not have a military and are doing great. Although there is crime in Costa Rica, there is no violence so bad where they would need a military. When General Tomas Guardia was in charge of the government in 1870, he made much advancement in the military policy in the country.
Population and Economy
Costa Rica had a very small population in the 1600s because of war over land and the spread of many diseases, most of which were spread from animals and plants that were newly exposed to people. The Costa Ricans were not used to having much, therefore it was clear when more became available that they were living in poverty. They did not have jobs to make way for their families. The natives did not have much money, but money became very scarce during this time, so they began to trade using cacao beans in 1709. In the 1700s many new cities were created, including San Jose, Heredia, and Alajuela. These cities became after a volcano erupted in the country, clearing a large amount of land for new developments. As these cities were developed many more Spanish people continued coming East to Costa Rica. The Spaniard settlers put the natives to work, and made them slaves. Since the natives were put so hard to work they were unable to continue on in their families and they were rapidly decreasing in number, the Spaniards were taking over. As they were taking over they began to have to work in their fields because there were not enough natives to slave over every field. The economy of the country began to drop because all of the valuables such as gold were being sent back to Spain. Since there was no gold or crops to trade the Spanish people began living in more poverty than they had ever experienced in Spain. Eventually they began trading tobacco and wheat, this helped to somewhat raise the economy. Costa Rica was a rural democracy, the people were for the most part were independent and each person was unique.
Connections to the theory of settlement from Guns, Germs, and Steel
No domesticated animals because they had not come over from the Fertile Crescent where most of the world’s animals had been domesticated. When the Spaniards settled in Costa Rica they brought over resources from the East, however since they came over water many of the resources were from the North and South. Jared Diamond’s theory explains that plants and animals spread much more quickly in East and West directions because of the similarities in living situations and climate from the latitude being the same in East and West locations. The resources they brought over did alright in Costa Rica, however the native plants and animals were surviving better because they were accustomed to the climate, whereas it was a change for the plants and animals that had been brought over. People’s bodies also reacted differently to the changes in resources and climates. The natives did not react well to the animals that were brought over, they were introduced to many new diseases, and their bodies did not adapt well with the plants. The same happened for the Spaniards when it came to life in Costa Rica, their bodies were not accustomed to the native animals and plants.
References
Baker, C. P. (n.d.). History of Costa Rica. Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/moon/mohistory.htm
Spain Settles Costa Rica. (2003). Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://www.vivacostarica.com/costa-rica-information/history-of-costa-rica-2.html
Costa Rica - History & Culture. (1998). Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://www.geographia.com/costa-rica/history.htm
These references are great for learning more information on the population and settlement in Costa Rica, I learned so much from reading through these three articles. The information given varies from thousands of years before settlement to current day Costa Rica. As well as these topics the articles cover resources, Costa Rica was not a high demand place to settle like many other countries were for their silver and gold, however they did have more coffee plantations than anywhere else.
Before Spain’s Settlement
Long before Columbus
Before Christopher Columbus discovered Costa Rica there were people who had been living there for over ten thousand years prior to his arrival. On the East side of the country there has been evidence of cities that existed long before the Spaniards made their way to the country, these cities were long before the tribes that were there when Columbus found Costa Rica. There is evidence that although many people had not settled in this country, they had traveled through, as it was between Mesoamerica and the Andes. This was a migration path for many people long before anyone settled in these areas, the tribes that did settle are likely to be people who decided to end their migration journey through Costa Rica early.
Columbus’s Voyage
Christopher Columbus was the first person to travel west and find Costa Rica; he reached the Eastern side of the country in 1502 on September 18th. There were many horrendous storms, so Columbus and his crew docked ashore and got a taste of the villages around them over 17 days, they discovered how wonderful the native people of this land were, they were treated greatly. Columbus and his crew believed that they would easily be able to settle in this land and take over. They believed that the natives of Costa Rica were very friendly and welcoming, and had a lot of precious jewels such as gold.
Native Tribes
Before Columbus arrived there were four large native tribes in Costa Rica, the Caribs, Borucas, Chibchas, and Diquis. These tribes were spread throughout the country, with the Caribs on the East side of the country, and the Borucas, Chibchas, and Diquis all resided on the Southwest side of the country. All four of these tribes shared many characteristics, they were nomadic hunters and fishermen, and they nurtured many different plants that were native to the land, land animals, and sea animals. These tribes lived in huts that they had built in their villages, generally there were very large huts that would house many people. Some of the tribes had very advanced systems in which they had slaves working. Many of these native villagers were also goldsmiths. Much of the wealth in the country was traded; people from these tribes had different goods that they specialized in making, finding, or catching. They would trade with other tribes for what they needed, keeping the wealth very spread out. Upon the arrival of the Spanish people there were about two hundred thousand native people. When the Spaniards took over these tribes quickly dissolved, some people fled the country whereas others did not make it due to the deadly diseases that they were not immune to that were brought over by the Spanish people. Today one percent of the population in Costa Rica is descendants of the four major tribes of Costa Rica, these people are known as Ticos.
Resources
Costa Rica was not the main place ruled by the Spanish people that they wanted to live; they were more drawn to Peru and Mexico where they were seeking gold and silver. There were not desired resources in Costa Rica like in other lands. Coffee was and still is the most desirable resource in Costa Rica; the coffee barons believed that they had the highest reigns in the country.
Spain’s Settlement
Settlement Attempts During the 1500s and 1600s
In 1502 the governor of Spain, Diego de Nicuesa, was sent by Kind Ferdinand to settle Costa Rica. When the Governor got to the land he was shocked because the people were nothing like what Columbus had described. The natives treated the Spaniards horribly because of the many rough times they had been through since Columbus was there. These people did not want new people settling in their land, these tactics worked and the governor left. The governor in 1562, named Juan Vasquez de Coronado set sail on his journey to Costa Rica to give settlement another attempt. This time, the attempt ended in a success. The governor moved the Spanish settlers to Cartago where the climate was good for growing their crops. The cultural environment dramatically changed after Columbus, the plantations at first started failing because they were not adjusted to the way that the Spaniards would change their way of harvesting. Eventually the fields became very successful and trade became a very important factor in living in Costa Rica. Trade then became illegal because Spain decided to close the ports for trade because of stealing by the English in 1665.
Mexico in 1821 and its affect on Costa Rica
In 1821 Mexico tried to separate from Spain’s ruling, Central America countries including Costa Rica took sides with Mexico. A few years later began a rumble in Costa Rica, caused by one of the major cities wanting to combine their country to be a part of Mexico. There were several major cities in Costa Rica that did not like this, and a war began between the civilians of Costa Rica. Eventually the cities came to peace after the capital city, San Jose, and its nearby city of Alajuela defeated the cities that wanted to combine their country with Mexico.
Ruling
Juan Mora Fernandez was elected Head of State in 1824; he was largely responsibly for all of the coffee industries that are in Costa Rica, the bosses of these coffee plantations then conquered the first president of this country, Jose Maria Castro who worked with Juan Rafael Mora. The Costa Ricans, under Juan Rafael Mora’s guidance were able to reject William Walker from North America as a conqueror. Walker believed the all of Central America should belong to the United States as a land of field full of slave workers. He had a small army of about 50 people, they had previously entered Mexico in hopes of conquering where they were rejected and sent back to the United States. They then went onto Panama with the same conquering hopes; they were more successful there but eventually were rejected. Their exits of Panama lead them to Costa Rica. After being rejected from Costa Rica he did not give up and moved onto Honduras, it was in Honduras that Walker was captured and executed.
Military
Costa Rica has never had a steady military; they currently do not have a military and are doing great. Although there is crime in Costa Rica, there is no violence so bad where they would need a military. When General Tomas Guardia was in charge of the government in 1870, he made much advancement in the military policy in the country.
Population and Economy
Costa Rica had a very small population in the 1600s because of war over land and the spread of many diseases, most of which were spread from animals and plants that were newly exposed to people. The Costa Ricans were not used to having much, therefore it was clear when more became available that they were living in poverty. They did not have jobs to make way for their families. The natives did not have much money, but money became very scarce during this time, so they began to trade using cacao beans in 1709. In the 1700s many new cities were created, including San Jose, Heredia, and Alajuela. These cities became after a volcano erupted in the country, clearing a large amount of land for new developments. As these cities were developed many more Spanish people continued coming East to Costa Rica. The Spaniard settlers put the natives to work, and made them slaves. Since the natives were put so hard to work they were unable to continue on in their families and they were rapidly decreasing in number, the Spaniards were taking over. As they were taking over they began to have to work in their fields because there were not enough natives to slave over every field. The economy of the country began to drop because all of the valuables such as gold were being sent back to Spain. Since there was no gold or crops to trade the Spanish people began living in more poverty than they had ever experienced in Spain. Eventually they began trading tobacco and wheat, this helped to somewhat raise the economy. Costa Rica was a rural democracy, the people were for the most part were independent and each person was unique.
Connections to the theory of settlement from Guns, Germs, and Steel
No domesticated animals because they had not come over from the Fertile Crescent where most of the world’s animals had been domesticated. When the Spaniards settled in Costa Rica they brought over resources from the East, however since they came over water many of the resources were from the North and South. Jared Diamond’s theory explains that plants and animals spread much more quickly in East and West directions because of the similarities in living situations and climate from the latitude being the same in East and West locations. The resources they brought over did alright in Costa Rica, however the native plants and animals were surviving better because they were accustomed to the climate, whereas it was a change for the plants and animals that had been brought over. People’s bodies also reacted differently to the changes in resources and climates. The natives did not react well to the animals that were brought over, they were introduced to many new diseases, and their bodies did not adapt well with the plants. The same happened for the Spaniards when it came to life in Costa Rica, their bodies were not accustomed to the native animals and plants.
References
Baker, C. P. (n.d.). History of Costa Rica. Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/moon/mohistory.htm
Spain Settles Costa Rica. (2003). Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://www.vivacostarica.com/costa-rica-information/history-of-costa-rica-2.html
Costa Rica - History & Culture. (1998). Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://www.geographia.com/costa-rica/history.htm
These references are great for learning more information on the population and settlement in Costa Rica, I learned so much from reading through these three articles. The information given varies from thousands of years before settlement to current day Costa Rica. As well as these topics the articles cover resources, Costa Rica was not a high demand place to settle like many other countries were for their silver and gold, however they did have more coffee plantations than anywhere else.