Class, tap your desks like rain.
Narrator : It was a dark stormy night in September of the year
1502. A ship crashed onto the shores of Porto Limon in Costa Rica and a
strange man came stumbling up the shoreline.
Stop rain
Member 1 of Caribi Tribe : "Hey, who is this guy? Why is
he looking at us funny?"
Columbus : (Walks around the room at the Caribi tribe who had already
been living there)
"Look at all these Indians here! They are all wearing costumes of
gold and jade! They must be LOADED with money here in this land!
I must go back to the King of Spain and tell him of these riches I have
found" .
Narrator : Columbus went back to Spain after 2 weeks and went directly
to the King of Spain.
Enter the King of Spain
Columbus: "Hey King! You have to send some Spaniards to
this land I discovered on my fourth voyage! It has so many riches that
we can be rich for the rest of our lives!"
King of Spain: "What the heck, send some explorers there too,
Chris!"
Narrator: Over the next forty years, Spain sent explorers, but at
times they ran into problems.
Enter native of Costa Rica and Spanish Explorer #1
In the forests of Costa Rica
Native of Costa Rica 1:
"Why are you here bothering us?"
Explorer #1: "Well, we heard that this land is full of riches.
However, we think Columbus was lying because we cant find anything! All
we have found so far is disease and sickness because our bodies are not
used to this new environment. We are even fighting between ourselves because
we are getting so tired of exploring.
Native of Costa Rica 1: We don't want you here! You are destroying
our land with your exploring and disturbing what was once a peaceful community.
We were happy with our life until you people came and brought you r diseases
and bad manners. You treat us sooooooo bad like we are less than
human. I am warning you that if you do not leave soon, there will be trouble.
We are not going to take this much longer.
Narrator : Hard times kept coming with continuing fighting between
the natives and the Spanish as well as between the Spanish themselves.
There had yet to be colonization of the area until this one man from Spain
came and........
Enter Phillip in Spain talking to himself
Philip II of Spain:
"After 39 years, I think it is time somebody settled this new land.
I am going to send Juan de Cavallon over there. He can take with him 90
Spaniards and set forth for the Nicoya Peninsula.
Narrator : In 1561, Juan de Cavallon arrived in Costa Rica. With
him he brought black slaves and Indians from Nicaragua. Juan brought cattle,
pigs, ducks, horses, goats and chickens to help make the new community
a success. It worked! The first settlement in Costa Rica was established,
Garcimunoz, after Columbus' birth place.
One year later:
Enter Juan Vasquez de Cordoba in Cartago Valley
Juan: I have arrived to Costa Rica from Spain and I don't like
where Mr. Cavallon established a settlement. I really think the the new
community should be in the Cartago Valley. I promise that I will treat
the Indians well as I continue to explore more of Costa Rica and make more
settlements.
Enter Natives 2 and 3
Native 2 : Who does this Cordoba guy think he is?
Native 3 : Yeah, he treats us nice when he is here but what about
those Spaniards? The Spanish are still taking our corn.
Native 2 : WE MUST FIGHT FOR OUR LAND!
Narrator : The lack of gold and food combined with the Indian revolts
against the Spanish, made life difficult for the settlers who came from
Spain. The settlers began demanding Indian slaves. By the end of the 1560's
and of the conquest of Costa Rica, the native people of Costa Rica had
died of disease, became slaves to the Spanish, or fled to the forest of
Talamanca. The future of Costa Rica looked dim!
Narrator: Almost 250 years went by with little assistance from
Spain without any gold or food to live by. As Spain continued its conquest
and rule of the other parts of Central America, Costa Rica had become a
forgotten land. Until....1821
Enter Guatemalan 1 talking to a friend in the Central Valley
Guatemalan #1 : Guess what? We are no longer under Spanish rule!
We have declared independence! Somebody should get the news out to the
other countries.
Narrator : News hit Cartago, Costa Rica 4 weeks later! Costa Rica
natives begin to think that they deserve their own constitution so they
draft one up in 1821. Breaking away from the Spanish rule caused some mixed
emotions.
Enter representative for Cartago and representative for San Jose talking
on the streets.
Rep. from Cartago: Now that we can break from Spanish rule,
why don't we just stay under the Mexican Empire rule? Heredia wants to
join the Mexican Empire as well.
Rep. from San Jose : Well, that is not what we want! We want to
be independent and rule for ourselves. Who needs someone else to rule us?
Narrator: On April 5, 1823, the two regions could no longer live
undecided. So, they decided the best way to settle their problems was to
fight for it. On this day, Cartago and Heredia fought for rule under the
Mexican Empire against San Jose and Alajuela who wanted independence.
Pretend Fight between the representatives!!!!!
Rep from San Jose and Alajuela: WE WIN! We get independence!
Narrator: Little did the people know, the Mexican empire broke apart
2 days before!
Costa Rica suffered economically for awhile until coffee was introduced
in 1833.
Until 1890, coffee was the leader of exports for Costa Rica. Settlements
rose where coffee was growing. Costa Rica had its name again with coffee
becoming king. A new wealth was introduced to Costa Rica in 1890.
Enter Minor Keith standing around in Limon
Minor Keith: Here I am in Costa Rica to build a railroad from Limon
to Meseta Central. My brother is doing most of the building but it is taking
him way too long. Since my brother has failed in building the railroad,
I think I will take it over. I will hire workers from Jamaica and China
in order to finish this railroad. Wait a minute, I NEED MORE MONEY TO PAY
FOR THIS RAILROAD! Got it! I will plant some bananas along the way of the
tracks and sell them here and there.
Narrator: Well, sell them, he did! Costa Rica became the number
one exporter of bananas. Minor Keith was renamed "Banana King"
for his efforts to build a railroad in Costa Rica and introducing bananas
to the land. Costa Rica had money again and coffee was still producing
major profits.
Narrator: Throughout the next 50 years, Costa Rica prospered
financially and politically. There were improved highways, voting rights
granted, free public schooling, worker's rights, and free press and popular
elections. Costa Rica was on its way to growth as a nation through a number
of successful presidents.
1940
President Calderon: During my presidency of the years 1940-1944,
I have made great strides in Costa Rica. I have provided a minimum wage,
vacations for workers, unemployment compensation, worker's rights, and
the University of Costa Rica. However I think I am going to take a another
four years off. Maybe I will come back,but who knows!
Native of Costa Rican #2 : I'm starting not to like this Calderon
guy! Yeah, he did great things for us but in order to do those things,
he has sent to much of Costa Rica's money. All of the prices have gone
up as a result. Good thing he's leaving!
Narrator: Calderon left and a man named Picado replaced him. HE
WAS AWFUL! He failed to help their economic crisis. In 1948 his term was
up and the people had a chance to vote him out.
Calderon : I WANT TO BE PRESIDENT AGAIN!!!! So I am going to run
for president in this election. I will run against Ulate.that guy who runs
the San Jose Newspaper.
Narrator: There was an election and Ulate won but in the congress
calderon won.
Costa Rica: #3 FRAUD!!! NO WAY!!!! WE WILL NOT BELIEVE THAT HE WON!
Don Pepe - My name is Don Pepe and I will not live in Costa Rica
as long as this man is president from a fake election. I must gather the
people and fight for a new president!
WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Class : Say Bang Bang and make shooting noises!
Narrato r: A civil war broke out and Costa Ricans fought against
each other. Business were closed and storefronts boarded up. Four days
later 1 in every 300 Costa Rockiness had been killed off. All in the name
of a country in trouble and after an election seen as a fraud.
Don Pepe : Hah! I am am the winner of the war! I declare Costa Rica
as a Second Republic which means to start over again with me as President.
As President, I am going to give full citizenship to blacks, set a presidential
term limit, and make sure there is never a fraud election again. And of
these people who like Calderon, NO MORE! SEND THEM TO MEXICO AND GET THEM
OUT OF MY FACE!
Narrator:
The following years things were steady in the country. In 1980 however,
Costa Rica was in another crisis. Bills were rising and banana and coffee
exports went down. There was a war in Nicaragua which caused more harm
because the war was spilling over into their country. Things got better
though in 1986 with the newly elected president.
Oscar Arias Sanchez : We need help! I want peace for once and for
all! Get these Nicaragua fighters out of the country because they are ruining
my country.
Narrator : To get peace, he made a treaty with five central American
countries that awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.
Since Oscar, Costa Rica has been on their way up. They have their highest
number of tourists ever and bananas and coffees are exported at a high
rate. After a long history full of struggles to make Costa Rica a peaceful
nation, Costa Rica is viewed as a model of peace and democracy.
Columbus
King of Spain
Explorer #1
Native of Costa Rica #1,#2, #3, #4
Member of Caribi Tribe
Phillip II of Spain
Juan Vasquez de Cordoba
Guatemalan
Representative from Cartago
Representative from San Jose
Minor Keith
President Calderon
Don Pepe
Oscar Arias Sanchez
Everybody does the Class parts