Puerto Limon
When I think of Limon I think of calypso music, carnival and joyful people. What a simplistic statement for a town that deserves more than a book to unveil all its historical inheritance!
One of the very first “visitor” in the area of Limon, was Christopher Columbus who managed to get lost again when he set anchor at Isla Uvita in 1520.
Then came the Spanish “visitors” this time from the Pacific side. The new settlers, who had to endure a long and difficult journey in order toreach the Caribbean coast soon forced the indigenous population to a new culture and a new creed, they got lost too!
Pirates also discovered this natural deep-water port and decided to stay a little bit longer (until the 1850´s) than their predecessor , the port was infact the perfect hideout for their ships and stolen treasures.
With the increase in the production of coffee, cocoa and other land product came the decision of building a port in Limón (Moin) and a railway that would link it to the central valley of Costa Rica through some 150 km of dense steep jungle and malaria infested swamplands.
The task of building the railway was undertaken by Minor Keith, a New York-born engineer who encountered an untold number of difficulties. Like most huge project of those days the railway claimed many lives among its workers: convicts from the US, Chinese servants and slaves from Jamaica had to pay a price that no wage could justify. Working conditions where extreme and diseases like malaria was the worst enemy, thousands died including Keith´s two brothers.-
Despite all the efforts the railway was an economical disaster, no passengers, coffee or cocoa could fill the empty train cars. In 1878, in a desperate attempt to make the journey a worthy one he started packing bananas and sending them to the US. Those day bananas were not cultivated in plantations but only on selected area along the railway as a source of food for the railway workers.
Bananas turned out to be a great success in the States that more shipments followedand mass plantations soon started. Another “visitor” had arrived, it´s name was United Fruit. This newcomer brought work and hope for thousand of Jamaicans who at the time were given better pay conditions than their Tico counterparts. This cunning strategy by United, that managed to keep any union infiltration at bay from the work force , caused strong racial frictions that has left its legacy to the present day.
Limon, better known as Puerto Limon is the commercial hub of the area, supermarkets, stores, clinics, chemists and banks are all here, so a stop to Limon becomes necessary in order to access to all those mentioned services that are not available elsewhere along the coast. Visitors to the area prefer the beauties of the beaches and of Tortuguero National Park than lodging in Limon. The town and its suburbs is infact in badly need of more attention and investments from the central government.
Limon’s dilapidated charm is infact more “appealing” to bohemians, artists and eccentric visitors alike than to the locals who have been asking for years for a good facelift of its buildings , its potholes filled and above all better social services.
The streets of Limon gets very crowded in October for the celebration of “El día de la Raza” (Race day - once known as “Columbus Day”) followed by the most famous “Carnaval de Limon” and in Augustbya festival called “Flores de la Diaspora Africana”, a celebration of the Afro-Caribbean culture.
One of the very first “visitor” in the area of Limon, was Christopher Columbus who managed to get lost again when he set anchor at Isla Uvita in 1520.
Then came the Spanish “visitors” this time from the Pacific side. The new settlers, who had to endure a long and difficult journey in order toreach the Caribbean coast soon forced the indigenous population to a new culture and a new creed, they got lost too!
Pirates also discovered this natural deep-water port and decided to stay a little bit longer (until the 1850´s) than their predecessor , the port was infact the perfect hideout for their ships and stolen treasures.
With the increase in the production of coffee, cocoa and other land product came the decision of building a port in Limón (Moin) and a railway that would link it to the central valley of Costa Rica through some 150 km of dense steep jungle and malaria infested swamplands.
The task of building the railway was undertaken by Minor Keith, a New York-born engineer who encountered an untold number of difficulties. Like most huge project of those days the railway claimed many lives among its workers: convicts from the US, Chinese servants and slaves from Jamaica had to pay a price that no wage could justify. Working conditions where extreme and diseases like malaria was the worst enemy, thousands died including Keith´s two brothers.-
Despite all the efforts the railway was an economical disaster, no passengers, coffee or cocoa could fill the empty train cars. In 1878, in a desperate attempt to make the journey a worthy one he started packing bananas and sending them to the US. Those day bananas were not cultivated in plantations but only on selected area along the railway as a source of food for the railway workers.
Bananas turned out to be a great success in the States that more shipments followedand mass plantations soon started. Another “visitor” had arrived, it´s name was United Fruit. This newcomer brought work and hope for thousand of Jamaicans who at the time were given better pay conditions than their Tico counterparts. This cunning strategy by United, that managed to keep any union infiltration at bay from the work force , caused strong racial frictions that has left its legacy to the present day.
Limon, better known as Puerto Limon is the commercial hub of the area, supermarkets, stores, clinics, chemists and banks are all here, so a stop to Limon becomes necessary in order to access to all those mentioned services that are not available elsewhere along the coast. Visitors to the area prefer the beauties of the beaches and of Tortuguero National Park than lodging in Limon. The town and its suburbs is infact in badly need of more attention and investments from the central government.
Limon’s dilapidated charm is infact more “appealing” to bohemians, artists and eccentric visitors alike than to the locals who have been asking for years for a good facelift of its buildings , its potholes filled and above all better social services.
The streets of Limon gets very crowded in October for the celebration of “El día de la Raza” (Race day - once known as “Columbus Day”) followed by the most famous “Carnaval de Limon” and in Augustbya festival called “Flores de la Diaspora Africana”, a celebration of the Afro-Caribbean culture.