Castro Madriz, José María (1818–1871)

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Castro Madriz, José María (1818–1871)

José María Castro Madriz (b. 1818; d. 1871), president of Costa Rica (1847–1849, 1866–1868). Born in San José, Costa Rica, Castro Madriz studied law in León, Nicaragua. In 1848 he severed Costa Rica's ties with the United Provinces of Central America and declared the country's independence. As a result of strong political pressure, he was obliged to leave the presidency in 1849. When reelected in 1866, he supported improvements in the public education system, opened the bay of Limón to trade, and inaugurated Costa Rica's first telegraph. Overthrown in a military coup in 1868, Castro Madriz served as minister in subsequent governments. He was given the title Benemérito de la Patria (National Hero) and is called the founder of the republic.

See alsoCosta Rica .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cleto González Víquez, Dos proceres (1918).

Rafael Obregón Loría, Dr. José María Castro Madriz, paladín de la libertad y de la cultura (1949).

Cleotilde María Obregón, Costa Rica: Relaciones exteriores de una república en formación, 1847–1849 (1984).

Additional Bibliography

Díaz Arias, David. Construcción de un estado moderno: Política, estado e identidad nacional en Costa Rica, 1821–1914. San José: Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, 2005.

Yashar, Deborah J. Demanding Democracy: Reform and Reaction in Costa Rica and Guatemala, 1870s–1950s. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1997.

                              Oscar PelÁez Almengor

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Castro Madriz, José María (1818–1871)

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