Have you heard the name Pablo Alvarado Bonilla? He is a Costa Rican doctor who played an active role in the Central American independence struggle and other historical events, but who has remained invisible for years.
He was born in Cartago in January 1785 to one of the wealthy families of the time. In 1803, he began working as a teacher and four years later managed to move to Guatemala—then the regional metropolis—to study medicine. During this time, his activism began to take shape, not without controversy.
He began to circulate a newspaper called “El Hispano-Americano,” which favored pro-independence ideas. This even earned him arrest in 1807 for publications that preceded the subsequent declaration of emancipation.
He remained in Guatemala for almost 15 years, coinciding with the declaration of freedom in 1821. Within this framework, he created specific manifestos urging Costa Rica to embrace the separation from Spain. Later, he became a regional deputy and upon his return to Costa Rica, he embraced the practice and teaching of medicine. He died in 1850, again in his native Cartago.
Why make “Citizen Pablo” a Distinguished Son?
The Municipality of Cartago declared Pablo Alvarado a Favorite Son. Now, the plan is a general recognition as a Distinguished Son of the Nation. The plan was presented as a popular initiative bill in the Legislative Assembly by historian Oscar Aguilar Bulgarelli. The two deputies from the Progressive Liberal Party adopted the initiative, which has now been formalized in the legislative session.
The merits for recognition as “Citizen Pablo” include:
Ideological precursor of Independence
Pioneer of the use of the term “American” in political ideology
Politically persecuted
Participation in the creation of the Pact of Concord
Advocate for the Annexation of the Nicoya Party in the Central American Congress.
