Liberia: History

Pre-20th-Century History

A large portion of this region is the open, dry cattle country of Guanacaste, Costa Rica's equivalent of the American West. Following the independence of Central America from Spain, the newly independent provinces formed the Central American Federation. At the time, Guanacaste was part of Nicaragua, though border disputes resulted in a series of skirmishes with Costa Rica. However, on July 25, 1824, the residents of Guanacaste voted to separate from Nicaragua and join Costa Rica.

Even today, Guanacastecos take pride in the unique origin and culture of their province, and it's not uncommon to see flags and banners proclaiming a free and independent Guanacaste.

Modern History

Previously, the sunny capital of Guanacaste served as a transportation hub connecting the capital with both borders, as well as the standard bearer of Costa Rica's sabanero culture. Even today, a large part of the greater Liberia area remains involved in ranching operations, and is still much enamored of Clint Eastwood movies, cowboy hats and machetes.

Liberia has long been a base for visiting nearby volcanoes, national parks and beaches, though multinational corporations who've already invested heavily in the nearby Papagaya Project have other ideas. Located only 50km (31mi) away from Liberia, the Golfo de Papagayo is being tagged by hopeful tourist-industry magnates as 'the new Cancún', though the difference is that you can actually drink the water here. Liberia's airport, which recently unveiled plans to build a second parking lot...er, runway, is slated to become the most important entry point for package tourists in search of tropical sun (without all the fuss of actually having to speak a foreign language). In this rapidly unfurling master plan, the city will redefine itself as a service community, providing much needed jobs in the daiquiri-mixing industry.

Recent History

Clearly, this new development raises the stakes - grass-roots groups have been pressuring the government to enforce strict regulations on new resorts, though Liberia has already started ramping up its own infrastructure to make sure local talent stays put to guide the city's transformation. Whistle-blowers are already rallying to the call of overdevelopment and sustainability, though it's difficult to know who's actually listening. Regardless of how the drama unfolds, Liberia is a much safer and surprisingly pleasant alternative to San José, and it's a great base for exploring destinations in the northwest and on the Peninsula de Nicoya. And, though most of the historic buildings in the city center are a little rough around the edges and in desperate need of a paint job, Liberia is a fairly pleasant city (at least by Costa Rican standards).

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