Parque Juan Santamaria

Juan Santamaria statue in Juan Santamaria Park in central Alajuela, Costa Rica

Who was Juan Santamaria? See this short article on Wikipedia for more details about the drummer boy who set William Walker’s fortress on fire and led to the defeat of the crazy American trying to turn Central America into his slave farm. He had actually conquered Nicaragua, so our Alajuela guys is their hero too!  The San Jose International Airport is named after him as are a few other things in Costa Rica. He is the perfect national hero as a poor laborer of a single mother. And he died in his act of heroism in 1856. The history museum in Alajuela by Central Park is also named after him.

The central plaza of the Juan Santamaria Park

Colorful Alajuela sign at one end of the park near my x-ray clinic

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