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Juan Santamaria was a young Costa Rican solider who died at the age of 25 at the Second Battle of Rivas, which took place on April 11, 1856 in the Nicaraguan town of Rivas. During the battle, Walker’s men were cornered near a hostel. The Costa Rican army attempted several times to set fire to the hostel but failed. Juan Santamaria was the last one to attempt to set the hostel on fire and succeeded, eventually causing Walker’s men to retreat. He ended up dying from the fire, and was made into a national hero in Costa Rica. April 11th is known as “Juan Santamaria Day” in Costa Rica and Juan Santamaria International Airport was named after him. His statue was erected in Alajuela Park, Alajuela on September 15, 1891.
Monument of Juan Santamaria, September 15, 1891. Parque Juan Santamaria, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
“Juan Santamaria Hero of a Peacepful Republic.” CostaRica.org. https://costarica.org/facts/juan-santamaria/. Accessed April 29, 2021.
Photo credit: https://www.riojarentacar.com/en/informacion/landmarks-of-costa-rica/monument-to-juan-santamaria/.