History of Puntarenas

puntarenas is Costa Rica’s sixth province and its largest, at 11,266 sq. km. It encompasses most of the Pacific Coast, stretching from the Gulf of Nicoya to Punta Burica, on the border with Panama.

The capital is the city of Puntarenas, which is situated on a spit of land several kilometers long and 400 meters wide, extending into the Gulf of Nicoya.

The province of Puntarenas was inhabited by several pre-Colombian cultures, including the Chorotega, the Huetares, the Quepoa, the Bruncas, the nation of Coctú and the Buricas. The city of Puntarenas, known as “the pearl of the Pacific,” was the country’s primary port for much of its history, and it was declared a “Balneario Nacional,” a nationally recognized seaside port, in 1940.

Costa Rica’s Pacific coast was first explored by the Spanish under Juan Ponce de León, and later, in 1522, by Gil González Dávila, who traveled the entire coastline from the Golfo Dulce to the Golfo de Nicoya, and penetrated as far inland as Nicoya and Nicaragua.

In 1524, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba founded a Spanish settlement, the village of Bruselas, near the current Esparza, but it was abandoned in 1527. In 1529, Juan de Cavallón y Arboleda arrived in Chomes by the Nicaragua-Nicoya road, and he established the Real de la Ceniza, a Spanish garrison that served as a base for exploring the country as far as the Central Valley. In 1556, the second Spanish church in Costa Rica was built at Chomes.

A passion for historical photos

Photos are provided courtesy of José Gerardo Suárez Monge, author of “San José: 280 Years of History.” Suárez is a professional photographer and graphic designer with a degree in electrical engineering from the Tecnológico in Cartago, but his passion is collecting and analyzing historical photos — he has over 14,000. He has six books for sale, which are available at Librería Lehmann and the University of Costa Rica bookstore, or by calling 7062-3086 or 8794-7679.

Point”) first appeared in 1720. The town was declared a major port of the country in 1814 by the Courts of Cádiz. In 1834 an attempt was made to move the port to Caldera, but six years later Puntarenas was confirmed as the nation’s chief port.

The city of Puntarenas is rich in history, tradition and customs. Among its most visited spots is the “Paseo de Los Turistas” (“walkway of the tourists”), a walkable street bordering the gulf full of hotels, restaurants, bars and dance halls. Puntarenas is known for a snow cone called a Churchill, because of the inventor’s resemblance to the British prime minister. It contains ice, syrup, condensed milk, powdered milk, fruit and other flavorings.

Puntarenas is also known as a jumping-off point to the Nicoya Peninsula because of its ferry service to Paquera and Naranjo. Puntarenas is also a popular destination for cruise ships.