The History of Alajuela

 

Alajuela is the second largest province in Costa Rica and is located some 12 miles northeast of the capital along the General Cañas highway.

The city of Alajuela is also known as the “City of Mangos” because of its large number of mango trees, especially around Central Park.

As of 2011, the province had a population of 885,571. Its diversity of production is the driving force behind the local and national economy.

The area around the Juan Santamaria International Airport, the main entry point to Costa Rica, is developing into a large district of exporting businesses. Many of these businesses are manufacturing industries that work within the free trade zones.

Visitors will find many attractions to see, including the Juan Santamaria History Museum, the Alajuela Cultural Center and the Cathedral that was restored in 2010, whose interior displays dramatic works of art.

Its warm climate and friendly people, as well as many interesting points of interest that can be reached on foot makes the county of Alajuela a place definitely worth seeing.

Alajuela, city, northwestern Costa Rica. It lies in the Valle Central at an elevation of 3,141 feet (957 metres).

Known in colonial days as Villahermosa, the town was active in support of independence from Spain in 1821; five years later it suffered from a plot to restore Spanish control over Costa Rica. For a brief period in the 1830s Alajuela served as the nation’s capital. It was the home of Juan Santamaría, a Costa Rican soldier and hero of the defense against the invasion by the American filibuster (military adventurer) William Walker in 1856. The local Cultural Historical Museum is named in Santamaría’s honour, as is the country’s principal airport, which is located 2 miles (3 km) from Alajuela city.

A slightly lower elevation and a warmer climate, as compared with San José 12.5 miles (20 km) to the southeast, give Alajuela the air of a resort. Called the City of Mangoes, it is also known for its flowers and markets. 

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Founding Alajuela

Because land holdings in Cartago, the colonial capital of the region, were already controlled by large encomiendas, many settlers began moving west beginning in the mid-1600s. In 1657, Alajuela was mentioned for the first time in the writings of Juana de Vera y Sotomayor, a traveler who described an encomienda "on La Lajuela river." Before taking on the name of Alajuela, the area was known as Villahermosa.

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Esteban Lorenzo de Tristán, Bishop of Nicaragua, Nicoya, and Costa Rica, tried organizing Catholic communities west of Heredia. In doing so, he inaugurated a small oratory to unite the scattered settlers. The oratory was centered in the village of "La Lajuela," between the Ciruelas and Alajuela rivers. Because of its creation, the city of Alajuela was officially founded on 12 October 1782. In 1790, the first official parish of Alajuela was established, led by the priest Manuel López del Corral. The creation of a parish brought more settlers to the region. Soon, they began moving further and further toward the edges of the Central Valley, founding Atenas in 1836, San Ramón in 1854, and Grecia in 1856. Soon, the cities of Naranjo, Zarcero, and Quesada were founded as well.         

National independence

In 1823, during the First Costa Rican Civil War, Costa Rica was divided into two groups: The Imperialists, who were loyal to the First Mexican Empire, and the Republicans, who wanted independence. For the most part, Alajuela and San José fought against the coup staged by the Republicans in Heredia and Cartago. The Alajuelan side won, and Costa Rica left the Mexican Empire shortly before it dissolved. While Costa Rica was a member of the Federal Republic of Central America in the 1830s, the city of Alajuela was the nation's capital.[8]

In 1831, Alajuelan folk hero Juan Santamaría was born. Santamaría was a peasant boy who volunteered as a drummer during the Campaign of 1856-1857. On 11 April 1856, Santamaría sacrificed himself to burn filibuster William Walker's stronghold at Santa Rosa, asking only that his mother be taken care of.

Settlement of the northern portion of Alajuela only began in earnest in the later half of the 19th century, and even so did not reach great proportions until the second half of the 20th century, owing largely to the difficult access. Much of the original colonization came from Nicaragua since numerous navigable rivers flow north from their origins in the cordilleras and empty into either Lake Nicaragua or the San Juan River. By 1850, the province had a population of approximately 15,540.

A seminal event in Alajuela's history was the 1968 eruption of Volcán Arenal. Residents previously referred to it as Mount Arenal. In the years before the eruption, residents reported rises in the temperature of ground water and small tremors. Beginning on 28 July 1969, residents of surrounding towns reported constant tremors. The eruptions began on 29 July, spewing ash into the neighboring provinces and launching boulders into the sky. The initial explosions were so strong that three craters were instantaneously created. The cities of Tabacón, Pueblo Nuevo and San Luís were buried, killing 87 people. Crops were destroyed and livestock were killed.

In 1979, Lake Arenal was created as the result of the construction of a hydroelectric dam by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, Costa Rica's national electric company. The old cities of Tabacón and Tonadora were submerged, and residents moved to the new city of Tabacón at its current location, although the steeple of the church can still be seen.[13] The dam produces 17% of the country's electricity.

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