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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