Costa Rica was discovered by Cristopher Columbus. After 80 days of his fourth trip, he decided about two days long stop on the carribean beach Portete (today very close to the Limon port). He come there on 18 of september of 1502 (the other theory claims that was on 25 of September 1502) and together with the crew from his four boats was rested and repaired some flaws. Soon they met first Indians from Cariari tribe, who wore loin-clothes with golden ornaments and golden plates in ears and noses. (It`s estimated that in the times of Columbus arrival, Costa Rica was inhabited by 20.000 indians). By way of greeting, Indians sent two 8 and 14 - years old girls as well as golden ornaments for Columbus. He was bewitched by gifts and wrote: "(...) I saw there more gold in two days than in Spain during the last four years". Drawing the wrong conclusions, he was conwinced that inland, in the Talamanca jungles there are hidden golden mines, where Indians were supposed to put their treasures. He started calling that territory as the "Rich Coast", (in spanish - Costa rica) and that name has come to the history.

Since the Columbus arriving, Costa Rica was described as the country, but at the beginning it has only symbolic importance. Spaniards explored that terrains only in 1560`s. Costa Rica surface was very small, and the additional obstacle to make from that the colony was the small inhabitants population. In 1569 the population was put at 17.166 people.

The Costa Rica colonization wasn`t so bloody as in the other regions of America. Due to the small number of Indians and deadly deceases for natives (brought by Spaniards from Europe) it was considerable easely conquered. (The rest of Indians after Spaniards arriving escaped in inaccessible Cordillera Talamanca). During the first years, Costa Rica was out of Spaniards interest. They paid attention then on conquests in Mexico and Peru. On Aztec Epire decline (1540`s), and Incas (1532), they recalled about other yet unconquered terrains, among others on Costa Rica.

At the beginning the Spaniards arrivings ended with completely defeates. It appeared, that Indians weren`t so nice for them any more and were ready for fight against them. They couldn`t overcome the tropical deceases and hunger (Indians were setting on fire its cultivations in order to cut Spaniards from any source of meal). They didn`t find also any gold mines traces. In 1506 Diego de Nicuesa was conquering Costa Rica as the first. He together with his men explored the part of caribbean coast. But attacked by Indians who vanished into the jungle, ravaged by heat, yellow fewer, tormented by clouds of mosquitos, unable to replenish supplies they soon has left.

Leading the expedition, Gaspar de Espinoza due to the bad weather was forced to call the ship at Burica Point. The expedition was continued by his two subordinates: lieutant Herman Ponce de Leon and pilot Juan de Castenada. In 1519 they discovered the San Lucas Bay (today Dulce Bay), and Orotina Bay (today Nicoya Bay) and the Cano island. Nevertheless they didn`t put their steps on the coast.

On 21 January of 1522 Gil Gonzalez Davila (catholic priest) expedition set out from the Pearl Island (Panama) in order to discover new territories to the west from Panama. In that undertaking his substitute - steersman Andres Nino and 100 sailors took part. They reached the Chiriqui Coast (Panama), where had to repair their boats, that were seriously damaged boats. It was decided that Davila together with some sailors, in the meantime, will take a walk by land, and they meet each other in the first port. During few days, he discovered the Burica Point, Dulce Bay and Terraba river mouth. He come across through the land of Coto Indians (to the North from Burica), Guaicara and Durucaca (on Terraba and Boruca lowlands).

He come across few tributaries of Terraba river and because of that he got rheumatism, and had to rest for a few days in one of Indian houses. He survived there a catastrophic flooding by climbing on the tree. He continued his trip along the coast to the west through settlements of Carobareque (Punta Mala), Cochira (in Rio Naranjo and Quepo direction), Cob (Tusubres), Huetare (Turrubares region) and Chorotega. His boats met in San Vicente Bay (Caldera).

A few days later they entered to Nicoya Bay by boat. During when Nino continued his trip along the coast (discovering among others "Honduras-Nicaragua-El Salvador`s" Fonseca Bay), Davila exuberated the vicinity of Avancari (today`s Abangares) and Cotori (Guacimal). From there he came back to Orotina, continued his trip through Chome (at Chome string) and finally reached Nicoya and Santa Cruz on Nicoya Peninsula. On his way back he come through Sabandi River (today`s Tempsigue) and Corobici river. Besides he visited the following settlements: Diria (the Cacique site placed between Belen and Bolson), Namiapi (Culebra Bay coast), Orosi Volcanoe and Papagayo Bay.

They took away huge numbers of gold pieces (in Nicoya, a cacique gave Davila 6 golden figures). On Spain point of view that was the most succesfull expeditionas yet. Nevertheless 1000 crew member have lost their lifes because of tropical deceases and Indian attacks.

In 1524 Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba founded near present-day Puntarenas the first Spanish settlement that was called Bruselas. It was to serve as the entre gate to Nicaragua. Cordova ordered to depopulate that on subsiguent year, because he stopped to be true to a governor of Veragua, and was worried about the attacks with revenge.

A few monthes later, a captain Andres Garabito conquered Huetar tribe that lived in the vicinity. The town gets populated again, and Indians rendered services. In 1527 Bruselas was destroyed by Diego Lopez de Salcedo.

A royal grant from the Crown that gave settlers the right to force Indians to labor without compensation. The Indians were re-located to live on the land where they worked and were considered the property of the grant holders. They were obliged to build them houses, plough and serve. Indians were also stuck in groups called corregimientos and on every year were forced to pay the tax for king of Spain. The owners of Indian had to propagate the Christianity over them. But it wasn`t widely practise in Costa Rica because Indians were smaller.

After dropping of Nicaragua influences, in Guanacaste a large cattle ranches or haciendas arose. Revisions on the encomienda laws in 1542, however limited the right that Spanish settlers were granted to forced Indian labour. Indians started concentrated into settlements far from the haciendas, so the estate owners thus began to import african slaves.

Encomiendas was replaced by a system called repartimientos which required all Indian man between the ages of 16 - 60 to labor one week of each month for private individuals, religious institutions, municipalities and government offices.

In 1529 roku, a new governor of Costa Rica Martin Estete discovered the mouth of San Juan and descubred the terrains south to Suerre zone (today Tortuguero Canals).

In 1539 roku, Costa Rica was separated from Veragua (Panama + Costa Rica). Panama appointed Hernandez Sanchez de Badajoz to a governor of Costa Rica. At that time he used for the first time the name Costa Rica. In 1540 he founded a village Badajoz and San Marcos port at the Sixaola river mouth (the first settlement on the caribbean coast). He stood out of ill-treating for Indians.

Meanwhile the governor of Nicaragua Rodrigo de Contreras claimed a right to Costa Rica province. Yet in 1540 he sent in there direction the armed expedition, that managed to defeat Sanchez. During his way back they made bloody massacres on Indians who were well-disposed to Sanches.

In 1540 the Spanish king signed the agreement with Diego de Guttierez for conquest and peopling Costa Rica. Guttierez come to Costa Rica from Nicaragua in 1543 through the Reventazon river. At the river mouth on 25 November he set up a new town Santiago. He was welcomed very well by Suerre Indians, who gave him a large amount of gold. But that gifts weren`t enough to satisfy him. That`s why he ordered to captured both cacigues: Camaguire and Cocori, and on the threat of death he demanded more gold.

In 1544 the Indian rebellion took place. They were setting on fire their own settlements, cutting fruit trees and destroying all crops. Guttierez followed them through Santa Clara lowlands. He crossed the Cordillera Central and reached the Turrialba volcano. Then he come to the mouth of Reventazon river, where the blood fights happened. On December Guttierez was killed at Tayutic (Teotigue) the place near today Platanillo or Moravia in Cartago province. Only a few his soldiers managed to escape.

In 1543 Costa Rica is put into new born captaincy-general of Guatemala (colonial administrative unit of Spain) that belonged to the Vicekingdom of New Spain with the seat in Spain. It served as province which borders were oficially set by king of Spain Felipe II in 1575 (the territory of Costa Rica extended over valley of Chiriqui in Pacific side and from mouth of San Juan river to bay of Almirante in Atlantic side. The peninsula of Nicoya was excluded and served as subprovince.

The up to then Costa Rica explorations were limited focused on its costal parts only. Leader avoided moving to the interior. In 1559 Spaniards remainded of Costa Rica and decided about finally conquering that. The Supreme Court of Guatemala Audience appointed out Juan de Cavallon, to colonize that terrains. His expedition was devided into two parts. The first was led by Cavallon alone, and the second one by his second in commands Padre Estrada.

Cavalloon crossed the Costa Rica border by land on january 1561. He as first ever brought cattle to Costa Rica. He turned toward Tempsigue lowlands and reached around Chomes. There he created three 20-memebers groups led by Miguel Sanchez de Guido, Ignacio Cota and Juan Gallego. On March 1561 he continued for Meseta Central through Turrucares Hills, Esparza lowlands and Santa Ana, and established Castillo de Garcimunoz settlement (the name in honour of the town in Spain where he was born). In the same year in Santo Domingo lowlands he set up Villa los Reyes town (today the vicinity of Orotina).

On January 1562 Cavallon was called on to Guatemala and in the meantime Padre Estrada Ravago continued his voyage navigating the San Juan river down the stream. They founded the city of the castillo de Austria, a settlement they later abandoned because of its unhealthy climate. He then returned to Nicaragua.

The second stage was initiated by Juan Vasguez de Coronado, who established (1563) the capital of the country-Cartago. Its decision about colonizing firstly the interior of Costa Rica (instead of the coast as was done previously) seemed to be incomprehensible, but soon it was convinced that was very accurated. Coronado appeared to be very humanitarian for conquered Indians. Unfortunately it shouldn`t be said about his successors, who bullied and ill-treat slaves. In 1565 the King of Spain Felipe II gave him a title of governor of Costa Rica.

Another Coronado achievement was reaching through pacific region of Parrita to Quepo, Coto lands and Buenos Aires lowlands. He married with Dulceche (a sister of Quepoa Indians cacique). In Coto he came across well fortified Indian villages, and due to the Indian resistance he took it by storm. (he helped to rescue from there many Quepoa Indians). Then through Cordillera Talamanca he reached to Caribbean Sea. In the vicinity of Estrella river he discovered gold.

Crew members who come with Coronado were granted "encomiendas", land-holdings which allowed for rights to the use of indigenous serfs. Due to small number of Indian, the colonists were forced to work the land themselves (even Coronado was doing that). Settlers used as the currency the cocoa beans.

Due to the small number of Indian labours, the first colonizators, contrary than in the rest of America, had to work by themselves. The number of Indians was so small that in Costa Rica wasn`t created similar like in the rest countries Metis population. There didn`t exist also typical colonial haciendas (everyone was tilling his own small fields). That`s why through many years Costa Rica stood aside of historical events. Casta Rica was said to be the rural democracy.

After Coronado death, the Supreme Court of Guatemala Audience appointed for temporary governor Perafan de Ribera. He come to Costa Rica by land from Honduras. Soon in 1568 he established Aranjuez town at the mouth of river with the same name (today Esparza). On arriving to Cartago he suppress the Indian rebellion in Guarco and Turrialba valleys. In 1569 he decided about deviding Indians into small groups among conguistadors and followers. In 1571 he set up Nombre de Jesus settlement and penetrate the Coto Brus valley. In 1572 he made up a decision about removing Cartago to Sabana lowland (today San Jose quarter). Finally he left Costa Rica in 1573.

The seat of Costa Rica governors were Cartago. They were chosen for 5 years term, earned 2.000 pesos a year. They were in authority over army and courts. Their vicegovernors were appointed in Heredia, Alajuela, San Jose, Esparza and Matina.

Off that time towns had councils with clerks. In Indian towns in the forefront of such councils were Indian caciques.

Since 1545 Costa Rica belonged to Nicaragua bishopric.

When the right of concession of grounds for the first settlerers was examined, the time of Indian work was seriously reduce. They could have more time for theirselves, they started also maintaining by driving cattle to pastures. So, the land owners had to bring Blacks from Africa for work.

In 1560 it was determined that the Costa Rica-Panama border at the Pacific side will run through Coto river region, and on the atlantic side will cross the coast near Boca del Toro islands. That gave Costa Rica the bigger pacific territory than nownadays and lesser on the atlantic side.

In 1560`s priest Martin de Bonilla persuaded Juan Vasquez de Coronado to solicit the Catholic King Philip II for permission to begin missionizing the Indians of Costa Rica beginning with Quepos. In 1571 Spaniard Juan de Pizzaro founded the first in Costa Rica Franciscan mission in San Bernardino de Quepos. That was 200 years before the first such a mission was opened in California. The mission introducedfirst orange and other citrus fruit trees.

In 1580 in unknown circumstances Juan de Pizzaro was murdered in the mission.

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