Documents regarding the Independence of Costa Rica and Central America from the Spanish Crown
Related Documents
The National Archive of Costa Rica and the Archdiocesan Historical Archive "Monsignor Bernardo Augusto Thiel" preserve a set of 26 documents that are indispensable for understanding Costa Rican and Central American independence, which defined the configuration of the present-day countries of the region.
These documents show the development of independence from Spanish colonial rule at the begining of the XIX Century. After these events, another process began: the establishment and construction of national identity. People began to no longer perceive themselves as subjects of the Spanish crown, but as citizens who identified as Central Americans and inhabitants of an independent country. This is how the elimination of internal localisms, the recognition of rights and the reconstruction of social, political and economic classes began.
These documents are the product of the actions of various actors of the time and reflect the influence of ideas coming from other latitudes (Europe, United States), which makes them significant examples to understand the end of the colonial period and the beginning of the independence of the countries of America.