Costa Ricans

views updated

Costa Ricans

ALTERNATE NAMES: Ticos
LOCATION: Costa Rica
POPULATION: 4,195,914
LANGUAGE: Spanish; English
RELIGION: Roman Catholicism (over 90%)

INTRODUCTION

Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive in what is now Costa Rica, in 1502, on his fourth and last voyage. It was probably named "rich coast" because of the gold ornaments worn by Indians, but it was never a source of great wealth for the Spanish. Indeed, when Central America freed itself from Spanish rule in 1821, the population of Costa Rica was under 70,000. San José became the capital of the Central American federation in 1823 and that of Costa Rica when it became an independent nation in 1838. During this period, coffee became an all-important export and source of national wealth; bananas, introduced in 1871, also became a major export crop. Political life was generally tranquil until 1948, when thousands died in a civil war.

After the internal clash that ended with the life of thousands of citizens, a new constitution was promulgated in 1949. This legal body among other innovations abolished the army, limited the power of the executive, and gave women the right to vote. Moreover, the new constitution guaranteed a complete net of social benefits to all Costa Ricans, such as the right to receive education. Today, Costa Rica has a 96% literacy rate, the highest in Central America.

Since the mid 1950s, Costa Rica has held a tradition of orderly democratic rule that has allowed the country to have 12 uninterrupted democratic presidential elections since 1953. In 2006, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Óscar Arias, was elected president of the country. Internationally, Costa Rica is well known for its high standards of living—it has been ranked 4th in the region and 48th in the world in the Human Development Index—and for its strong commitment to preserve and protect the environment. Honoring this environmental-friendly reputation, Costa Rica declared in 2007 its intention of becoming the first carbon neutral country in the world by 2021.

LOCATION AND HOMELAND

Costa Rica is about the size of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is bounded by Nicaragua on the north, Panama on the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west. Mountain ranges run northwest–southeast the length of the country, reaching as high as 3,810 m (12,500 ft) above sea level. Some of the mountains are volcanic. About half the population lives in the small, fertile, central plateau nestled in the highlands. The lowlands along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts are hot and generally rainy, swampy, and heavily forested.

Because of its natural beauty, privileged climate, and the governmental commitment to protect the environment, tourism, especially ecotourism, has become an important source of national income, representing around 15% of the GDP. In addition, its tropical weather has made Costa Rica one of the main producers of coffee in the world. Thanks to the sustainable exploitation of its resources and its tax exemption policy for foreign investment, Costa Rica has achieved a GDP close to $56 billion dollars (2007). However, distribution of wealth has lingered highly unequal with 20% of the population under the poverty line.

About 95% of the 4.1 million Costa Ricans are either of European (generally Spanish) or mixed European and Amerindian ancestry. The rest of its inhabitants are mostly of Amerindian, African, or Chinese descent. The number of refugees fleeing political strife in other Central American countries reached some 200,000 in the 1980s, but fell to about half that number in the 1990s. Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos.

LANGUAGE

Spanish is the universal language. Vos is often used in place of tu as the singular familiar pronoun. Costa Rican Spanish is also influenced by Mexican television. There is a peasant country dialect but few regional variations. The 15,000 or so Amer-indians belong to six linguistic groups. Some of the 50,000 or so Blacks—mostly descendants of Jamaican immigrants—use English as their principal language. The Amerindian dialects spoken in Costa Rica, such as Boruca, Térraba, and Maléku, are part of the Chibchan language. Among Central Americans, Costa Ricans are known for replacing the diminutive ending tito with tico, this explains why they are known in Central America as Ticos.

FOLKLORE

Costa Rican Amerindians see the world as created by God (Sibu) and controlled by good and evil spirits. A few sukias (shamans) are credited with curing illness, controlling the weather, and foretelling the future. Curanderismo (curing) with herbs and chants is also practiced by non-Amerindians. In Costa Rica these healers, also credited with concocting love potions and casting spells, are called brujas (witches); they are always female and at least 50 years old.

Catholic folklore is plentiful. As in all of Latin America, saints—including uncanonized "popular saints"—are prayed to as intermediaries before God, and statues and pictures of saints in the home are believed to confer good luck.

RELIGION

More than 90% of the population is baptized Roman Catholic. The 1949 Constitution recognizes Catholicism as the national religion and provides for state support of the Church while permitting the free exercise of "other cults not opposed to universal morality or good customs." Only a Catholic marriage ceremony is recognized by the state without the need of a civil ceremony. Catholic doctrine is part of the public-school curriculum, and only a parental note excuses children from these lessons. However, in general Costa Ricans neither observe nor expect rigid conformity to the doctrines and rules of the Church. In recent years, Costa Rica has received continuous waves of immigrants, mainly from Asia and the Middle East, and as a consequence new religions, such as Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism, have been incorporated in the traditional creeds.

MAJOR HOLIDAYS

Of Costa Rica's 15 public holidays, most are religious in character. Some businesses close for Holy Week (late March or early April), which is commemorated with religious processions. Christmas Eve (December 24) is celebrated with visiting, drinking, dancing, and gift-giving, as well as midnight mass. The feast day of Our Lady of the Angeles, Costa Rica's patron saint, occurs on August 2. On this day, La Negrita, a small black stone image of the Virgin said to have appeared to a poor Indian girl over 300 years ago, is carried in solemn procession from the Basilica in Cartago to the parish church of St. Nicholas. It is returned on the first Saturday in September.

Among secular holidays, the most important is Independence Day, on September 15. This day is commemorated also in the other Central American countries that won their independence from Spain in 1821.

RITES OF PASSAGE

Parents of newborn children receive gifts from relatives and neighbors, and a man and woman—generally a married couple—are asked to serve as godparents, as in many other Latin American countries. The godparents traditionally take the infant to church to be baptized. A child's first birthday is also a great occasion. After entering school at age seven, boys and girls play apart. Working-class children may be expected to do chores or supplement the family income as early as age six. A middle- or upper-class girl's 15th birthday is a special occasion, marked by a party comparable to a debut. No fiesta or dance is complete without a "queen" and "princesses." No similar events exist for boys, but they enjoy much greater freedom and are steeped in the ways of machismo—assertive masculinity.

Most adult Costa Ricans let their birthdays pass unnoticed. A woman is considered well past her prime by age 40. Higher-status men, however, may celebrate their 50th birthday with a big party, and couples celebrate their silver and golden wedding anniversaries. Old women may spend much of their time in church, while old men gather in parks, cafes, or bars to talk.

Funerals are required by law to be held within 24 hours of death, and few corpses are embalmed. Whenever possible, a church ceremony is held and mourners proceed to the cemetery for the burial. If there is time, a wake may be held first, with the deceased placed in an open coffin in the family living room. A rosary and sometimes a Mass are held on the anniversary of the death for a decade or two. Widows sometimes wear black for the rest of their lives, although this practice is becoming obsolete.

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

Foreign visitors have described Costa Ricans as hospitable and gracious. Strangers are favored with a greeting in small towns. Acquaintances are greeted as amigo (friend) and given ritual shoulder-patting embraces. Yet, this is misleading, for many Costa Ricans say they have no real friends other than relatives. They value privacy and rarely invite non-relatives, except for friends from childhood and professional colleagues, to their homes. A great deal of socializing goes on outside the home, in clubs or bars, or at fiestas or other community diversions.

Dating is not common, and in rural areas and among more traditional urban families, girls under 18 must still be chaperoned at night. Movies, dances, and band concerts in the park are among the occasions where young people may get to know one another. If a boy and girl go out on a date even once, they are generally thought to be novios (boyfriend and girlfriend) who do not date anyone else.

Costa Ricans love music. They usually listen to rock and roll, pop, and reggateon, and dance to the rhythm of salsa, merengue, and cumbia. Besides dancing, going to the movies is another of the main social experiences among Costa Ricans.

LIVING CONDITIONS

Costa Rica enjoys, with Panama, the highest standard of living in Central America. Life expectancy is on a par with the United States, and infant mortality is the lowest in Latin America. Many Costa Ricans credit the social security system, which took over community hospitals, for improved health. However, protein-deficient malnutrition remains common among landless peasants, and there has been an increase in obesity, alcoholism, smoking, and narcotics use. Most Costa Ricans live in small wooden or cement-block houses, with floors of wood or tile and roofs of zinc or corrugated iron. The urban poor, however, generally live in overcrowded, usually rented, slum dwellings. Squatters' shanties can be found on the fringes of the cities. Buses, rather than automobiles, are the main form of public transportation. Both coasts are also linked by rail with the capital, and there are airplane landing strips throughout the country.

FAMILY LIFE

The extended family group is the basis of Costa Rican society. Brothers, uncles, and cousins are expected to help other family members in times of need. Much of social life consists of Sunday visits to kin and to their parties, christenings, weddings, and funerals. Several generations may live under the same roof. Desertion and abandonment of children by fathers is common among the poor. It is not uncommon for a grandmother, her daughters, and their children to live together without an adult male present. Family size has dropped sharply since 1960 because of birth control. Women form a growing proportion of the labor force, and sex discrimination in hiring and salary is forbidden. Divorce, once seen as a disgrace, occurs more frequently than in the past, but separation and desertion remain far more common. Many women are also victims of domestic violence.

CLOTHING

Traditional women's costumes are based on a sheer, low-cut frilled, ruffled, or puffed white blouse and a flounced, flowered, full cotton skirt, which varies in color. A fringed, colored silk or cotton rebozo (shawl) is draped around the shoulders or over the head. A cross, medallion, or locket is usually suspended around the neck, and circular golden earrings are worn. Traditional men's costumes generally consist of dark trousers and a long-sleeved white shirt with a red-knotted handkerchief at the neck and a colored sash around the waist. A straw Panama hat is also worn.

Clean, unwrinkled clothing is very important to urban working-class people, and many of them will skimp on food to buy stylish clothing. All but the poorest people dress up on Sundays and on special occasions. Conversely, the upper and middle classes, more secure in their status, now dress more informally. Even top government ministers now doff their suit jackets on many occasions, confining themselves to sports shirts or short-sleeved shirts with neckties. Jeans and tee shirts are everyday wear for young people of all classes. Girls wear school uniforms, and older girls are expected to wash and iron the blouses of their uniforms and to press the skirts daily.

FOOD

The Costa Rican diet is based on rice, beans, tortillas or bread, fried plantains, and strong black coffee, sometimes prepared from home-grown berries, with lots of sugar. Vegetables and fruits, though available year-round, are not especially common. The midday meal is the main one.

Beef or pork is preferred to fish. Olla de carne, the traditional stew, is made with beef, potatoes, corn, plantains, squash, yucca, and other vegetables. Other popular entrees include paella and zarzuelas (spicy seafood stews). These dishes are derived from Spain but adapted to local ingredients. Pozol, a corn-based soup in Mexico and other Central American countries, is made with beans in Costa Rica. Rice, chayote (a pear-like fruit), and other ingredients may be added; in Guanacoste Province pozol is made with corn and a pig's head. Gallopinto, a popular peasant dish, is basically beans with an egg, although its name suggests chicken. Chayotes rellenos are chayotes parboiled in salted water, stuffed with cheese, eggs, butter, and breadcrumbs, covered with butter and breadcrumbs, and then baked.

Common drinks called refrescos are beverages consisting of liquefied fruits diluted in water and occasionally in milk. The typical flavors are melon, blackberry, strawberry, mango, and watermelon.

EDUCATION

Costa Rica boasts the highest literacy rate in Central America. Elementary education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15, and the central government supervises school attendance and curricula. About 24% of the country's budget is used in education, which has permitted more than 96% of the population over 15 years of age to be able to read and write. However, high school dropout rate remains high, and many graduates enter college unable to read or write acceptably. Well-to-do parents usually send their children to private schools, where instruction is at a higher level.

The main institutions of higher learning are the University of Costa Rica, founded in 1941 and located in a suburb of San José and the National Autonomous University in Heredia. Because of political pressure, almost all applicants are admitted, which has resulted in overcrowding and has hampered quality. Founded in 1976, the Autonomous University of Central America is a private institution organized into autonomous colleges on the British plan. The Institute of Technology is near Cartago; a San Carlos branch has a school of forestry and agriculture.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

Costa Rica has a national orchestra, opera house, and dance company. Alejandro Monastel is a classical composer who employs native folk themes. The marimba and guitar are popular instruments for folk dances. Among popular performers are Los Talolingas, who wrote "La Guaria Morada," regarded as the nation's "second national anthem." Lorenzo (Lencho) Salazar writes popular humorous songs. Some Indians retain their traditional dances and musical instruments, and the calypso is popular among Caribbean Blacks.

A government-subsidized House of the Artist has offered free lessons in painting and sculpture since 1951. The Museum of Costa Rican Art was founded in 1977. Francisco Amighetti and Richard Kliefoth are among the nation's painters and graphic artists.

Costa Rica's best writers have been chiefly essayists and poets, including Justo Facio, Roberto Brenes Mesén, and Joaquín García Monge. Carlos Luís Fallas and Alberto Cañas represent social protest, while Alfonso Chase and Carmen Naranjo depict urban life. Ricardo Fernández Guardia was a historian and short-story writer; Moises Vincenzi was a novelist and philosopher.

WORK

About three-quarters of all Costa Ricans are members of the working class. These include farm and domestic workers, gardeners, janitors, and vendors. Because of a widespread prejudice against manual labor, young people with middle-class aspirations prefer even poorly paid white-collar occupations, such as secretary or bank clerk. The work ethic and work hours in Costa Rica differ from those in the United States. As in most Latin American societies, work is seen as a necessity but not an end in itself. The workweek is often cut short on Friday afternoon, and there are many holidays.

SPORTS

Soccer is the national sport—or even national mania—of Costa Rica, and it is a tradition for young working-class males who began kicking a ball since they learned to walk. Even the smallest hamlet is likely to have at least one team. It is also by far the chief spectator sport. Bicycling also has many working-class participants and spectators. Boxing and wrestling also are popular spectator sports for men of the working class. Basketball, volleyball, and tennis are played chiefly by upper- and upper-middle-class boys, and tennis and golf by their fathers. Baseball is more popular along the Caribbean coast. Among other sports are horseracing and automobile- and motorcycle racing. Once popular, cockfighting is now illegal.

ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION

Films are extremely popular, but most moviegoers are under 25 years of age. A censorship board, usually for reasons of sexual licentiousness, bans some films. Transistor radios are played everywhere, with popular music predominating. Even the poorest homes are likely to have television sets. Favorite programs include cartoons and old movies from the United States, and Mexican telenovelas (soap operas). There are many other diversions and leisure-time activities, including sports, fiestas, dances, and games of chance. The national lottery, held each week, is a major event. There is a grand prize at Christmas.

FOLK ART, CRAFTS, AND HOBBIES

Because it has only a small Indian population, Costs Rica has little in the way of native arts and crafts. A symbol of the nation, although dating back only to about 1900, is the elaborately painted wooden oxcart, typically done in brightly colored geometric patterns or stylized motifs such as flowers. There are a number of folk-dancing groups, and many songs, dances, poems, and stories have Indian and African as well as Spanish roots.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Costa Rica's chief social problem is the poverty that grips perhaps one-third of its population. Most farmers have only tiny plots. Slash-and-burn agriculture and the cutting of forests threaten the environment. Politically, Costa Rica has a large, expensive, and relatively unproductive bureaucracy. It has, however, maintained democracy and individual rights and freedoms, avoiding the armed conflicts and dictatorial rule that have gripped other Central American countries. There is no standing army. Crime-control is hampered by the lack of a career police force. Thousands of personnel are fired with each change in national administration; working in the bureaucracy does not guarantee continued employment.

GENDER ISSUES

The first step towards Costa Rican women's economic independence occurred during the late 19th century, when the liberal government considered their education to be essential for the improvement of the country. However, it was not until the first decades of the 20th century that women were allowed more expression and power in political spheres. In 1948 women were given the right to vote.

After ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1984, the country instigated the first initiatives aimed at eliminating sexist stereotypes and practices that legitimize gender inequalities in the education system. The 1990 Act for promoting the Social Equality of Women made the central government and educational institutions responsible for guaranteeing equal opportunities for men and women, not only in terms of access to education, but also in terms of the quality of such education. This led to the creation of the Gender Equity Office in the Ministry of Public Education in 2000 and a strategic plan was defined containing measures to speed up gender equality and equity between men and women throughout the system. In 1996 the government introduced a 40% quota in the Electoral Code for all public elections, and political parties were required to change their statutes accordingly. In 1999 the Supreme Electoral Tribunal ruled that women must be placed in electable positions on party lists.