republic · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
State of Costa Rica
Origins
Costa Rica joined the Federal Republic of Central America in 1824 after rivalry among its towns over joining Mexico had been settled by a brief civil war in 1823, after which the capital moved from Cartago to San José. Juan Mora Fernández became the first head of state.
Rule and society
Remote from the federal conflicts, Costa Rica developed quietly under Mora Fernández, who ruled from 1824 to 1833. Small and medium farmers in the Central Valley took up coffee, which was exported via Chile and, from the 1840s, directly to Britain, and the state encouraged planting with land grants. Braulio Carrillo, head of state from 1835, centralised power, defeated the rival towns in the War of the League and issued a decree of basic guarantees in 1841 that made him ruler for life.
Decline and legacy
Costa Rica left the federation in November 1838 but kept the title of state. Carrillo was overthrown in 1842 by Francisco Morazán, who was himself executed months later. On 31 August 1848 José María Castro Madriz proclaimed the Republic of Costa Rica.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- State of Costa Rica was part of Federal Republic of Central America1824 CE – 1838 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Costa Rica. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-costa-rica
- MLA
- “State of Costa Rica.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-costa-rica. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “State of Costa Rica.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-costa-rica.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Costa Rica’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-costa-rica (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻