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Santa Rosa
National Park
One of the first national parks to be declared, Santa Rosa is important for
its history, geology, and ecology. The old hacienda buildings have been
preserved as a cultural and historical museum, especially commemorating the
Battle of Santa Rosa in 1856.
The rocks that form much of the Santa Elena peninsula in the extreme western
sector of the park are among the oldest in Costa Rica dating back to the
Cretaceous period, some 130 million years ago. The forested portions of the
park comprise a large percentage of the precious little remaining area of
tropical dry forest habitat throughout all of Central America.
In addition to providing refuge to the many plants and animals adapted to dry
forest conditions, Santa Rosa protects two important sea turtle nesting
beaches, Naranjo and Nancite. The latter is one of two beaches in Costa Rica
(the other is Ostional) where Pacific Ridley Sea Turtles come ashore each year
in large concentrations to lay their eggs.
Among the many creatures inhabiting the 49,515 hectares of Santa Rosa National
Park, some of the more commonly seen species include: White-tailed Deer,
Long-tongued Bats (that roost in the historic buildings), White-throated
Capuchin Monkeys, White-throated Magpie-Jays, Orange-fronted Parakeets, and
Roadside Hawks.
The vegetation in most parts of the park is characterized by being deciduous
and many plant species remain leafless for much of the dry season as a means
of conserving precious moisture. Another common feature of the dry forest
vegetation is the high percentage of plants that have thorns or spines. The
prevalence of this form of mechanical protection has led tropical biologist,
Dr. Daniel Janzen, to speculate that this defense evolved eons ago in response
to the pressure from huge herbivores such as Giant Ground Sloths and Mastodons
that once roamed this region. Whatever the evolutionary reason may be, do be
careful what you touch or brush up against in the tropical dry forest!
Getting there: From the town of Liberia, the main entrance to Santa Rosa
National Park lies 32 km. north on the PanAmerican Highway. Public buses going
to the town of La Cruz will let you off at the main gate. From here, it is
another 10 km. to the administration area and the historical buildings. The 12
km. dirt road from the administration to Naranjo beach is normally passable
only in the dry season with a four-wheel-drive vehicle (check with park
service personnel before attempting this drive). Nancite beach is restricted
because of turtle nesting and research programs, so advance permission is
required to visit this beach -- which involves a difficult hike from Naranjo
beach.
The less-developed northern sector of the park, known as Murciélago, can be
reached by continuing another 10 km. north on the highway before turning left
on the paved road that winds down to the coastal village of Cuajiniquil. The
park ranger station is another 9 km. to the west.
Fishing: Although a bit far from most of the deep-sea fishing operations in
northern Guanacaste, the Bat Islands (Islas Murciélago) off the Santa Elena
Peninsula are well-known as a productive fishing spot, and are also a popular
scuba-diving site.
Climate: Hot throughout the year, the chance of rain is almost nil from
December to April. The rainy season which lasts from May until November is
normally punctuated by a several-week dry period in July and August.
History: In 1855, a brilliant, but somewhat megalomaniacal, young North
American named William Walker arrived in Nicaragua in time to bolster a
flailing regime. As a result of his efforts, he set himself up as
Commander-in-Chief of Nicaragua, and with the support of a mercenary army of
international origin and the financial backing of interests from the
Confederate Union of the southern United States, began a military campaign to
conquer Central America.
His sights turned first towards Costa Rica. When word of the invasion reached
San José, President Juan Rafael Mora organized a civilian militia to march to
Guanacaste and confront the filibusteros, as the mercenaries were known.
When the Costa Rican forces reached the hacienda of Santa Rosa on March 20,
1856, the mercenaries were housed in the main farm building, La Casona. The
ensuing battle lasted all of fourteen minutes with the national militia
victorious in ousting the invaders. [This being the "epic" battle of
Costa Rican history gives an insight into just how peaceful the nation's
history has been.]
The filibusteros were followed back across the border into Nicaragua where the
Costa Ricans clashed again with the mercenaries in the decisive battle in the
town of Rivas on April 11, 1856.
Walker himself was not present in either of these battles, but after seeing
his plans thwarted by the valiant defense presented by the Central American
nations, he fled Nicaragua and returned to the U.S. where he practiced law for
two years in San Francisco. He was unable to completely forget his ideas for a
Central American takeover and in 1860 he returned to the region, but was
captured and put on trial for treason by the government of Honduras. His death
in front of a firing squad put an end to this strange chapter in the region's
history.
History proved that it does repeat itself, and Santa Rosa was again the site
of battles between Costa Rican troops and invading forces from Nicaragua in
both 1919 and 1955. The first was an attempt to overthrow the dictatorship of
General Federico Tinoco, the second was a coup attempt against the government
of José Figueres Ferrer.
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