Previous perspectives

By Alex Piedra

According to some historians, on his fourth trip in 1502, Cristopher Columbus landed at Costa Rica at what today is known as Isla Uvita, in the Caribbean’s Limón province. At the time, indigenous inhabitants called the place “Cariay.”

Much has been said about the arrival of the Europeans to the Americas: that Columbus discovered the Americas; that it was a holocaust committed against the indigenous people; that it was simply a cultural encounter. Aside from political, social or philosophical analyses, the truth is that the nationalities of our American communities of today are the product of a process of mixing of ethnicities, both physical and cultural.

As we near the celebrations of Oct. 12, a day that is commemorated as the “Encounter of Cultures,” it is important to pay tribute to Costa Rica’s first two major immigrant groups and their descendants, who today form an important part of a multiethnic and multicultural country.

Costa Ricans of African Descent

While descendants from Africa add an important cultural dynamic to Costa Rica, no specific numbers exist to highlight the number of people who consider themselves part of this group. 

According to the report “Costa Ricans of African Descent in the 2011 Census,” by economist Epsy Campbell, African descendants have lived in Costa Rica since colonial times. They arrived here as slaves of the Spanish colonialists. Back then, they were called pardos, morenos and cholos.  

The report also notes that a “second group of African immigrants settled in Costa Rica’s northern Pacific region, in the Mansión de Nicoya. They arrived from Cuba after an agreement was signed by the Costa Rican government and Antonio Maceo, hero of the Cuban struggle for independence. … The best-known example of African immigration are the laborers who came mostly from Jamaica, but also from Belize, Martinique, St. Kitts and Nevis and San Luis. They arrived at the Caribbean coast and were explorers and fishermen. They traveled as far as the Pacific and integrated into the indigenous communities.” 

The majority of Africans began arriving in Costa Rica in 1872 to build a railroad line to the Atlantic, and to cultivate cacao and bananas.

The majority spoke English, and in Costa Rica, they developed their own dialect, known as “Mek-a-tél-yu” (“Make I tell you,” or “Let me tell you”). 

For many years, immigrants of African descent have faced hardship, discrimination and isolation, although Costa Rica has slowly progressed in recognizing their rights. 

As is common for all immigrant groups establishing themselves in a territory, a mixture of culture has taken place between the immigrants’ original traditions and those of their new home. That is why today we have a Costa Rican culture that includes African characteristics. 

The port city of Limón is home to the Black Star Line, a cultural center and headquarters of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. 

While our brothers and sisters of African descent live in many different regions of the country, they have established a strong community with many ties to Limón. 

The soul of the Afro-Costa Rican fills us with happiness, pride and appreciation of the many contributions to our society. The cuisine, including rice-and-beans and pan bon (sweet bread), has become part of our national identity and soul. 

Costa Rica’s Chinese Culture

In the 19th century, China experienced a time of economic, political and social crisis caused in part by the influence of western countries. People began looking for better opportunities abroad.

Some merchants began offering “job opportunities” for Chinese workers in other parts of the world, including the Americas (particularly California, in the United States), where they were promised great prosperity. 

Thousands of Chinese migrants set off in search of a better life, and Costa Rica was a destination for one of the groups. 

According to Marlen Loría and Alonso Rodríguez, in their book “The Chinese Immigrants of the Costa Rican Community (1870-1910),”  in  1855,  fewer  than  100 Chinese immigrants arrived at Costa Rica’s Pacific coast to work at the Hacienda Lepanto and at a German colonization project that never materialized. 

Like the African immigrants, after 1872, many Chinese were given work on the Atlantic railroad line. More than 800 Chinese immigrants, mostly from the region of Canton, traveled to Costa Rica to work on the railroad.

Immigration from China increased after that, and many Chinese immigrants worked in other activities. But they were also exploited and suffered discrimination, including restrictive policies implemented by authorities.

Gradually, Chinese communities developed, primarily on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Eventually, they also settled in the Central Valley. 

Today, our Costa Rican brothers and sisters of Chinese origin can be found throughout the country. Costa Rica’s Chinese culture is a great expression of our nationality.

Costa Rica’s first astronaut, Franklin Chang, is of Chinese origin.

Sociologist Hilda Cheng Apuy, in her article “The Chinese Minority in Costa Rica,” eloquently comments on the situation: “The Chinese minority in Costa Rica is the oldest Asian minority in the country. They have subtly influenced various aspects of Costa Rican culture; the Chinese have introduced vegetable cultivation, changed the country’s taste for cuisine, and have adapted to their adopted country. The majority of the descendants of the first Chinese immigrants no longer speaks Cantonese, nor any of its dialects, is Catholic and feels Costa Rican. … Chinese associations can be found in cities with big populations of Chinese descendants, such as Limón, Puntarenas, San José and Nicoya.”

Alex Piedra is a lawyer, notary and a political adviser at the Legislative Assembly. Write him at alex1piedra1@gmail.com.