On April 8, the Legislative Assembly approved a new national symbol for the country in its second reading. These are the adobe and bahareque houses, so representative of Costa Rica’s past, especially in rural areas.
The bill was presented by the National Liberation Party representative, Luis Fernando Mendoza, and received the support of the majority of legislators present at the time of the vote.
Costa Rican identity
“The declaration is a recognition of these infrastructures that authentically reflect Costa Rican identity,” the representative stated. “Furthermore, it dignifies this cultural heritage, so representative of a hospitable, warm, peaceful, free, and democratic country like Costa Rica,” he added.
With the approval of the symbol as a national symbol, the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) is also called upon to include the meaning of this new symbol in its curricula.
The Ministry of Culture is also urged to promote initiatives that strengthen the conservation of these structures, and the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) is urged to conduct campaigns aimed at national and international tourism.
More than 20 national symbols
Costa Rica now has more than 20 national symbols, and there are several bills in the Legislative Assembly to expand that list. Included in that agenda are the Arenal Volcano, the scarlet macaw, the Costa Rican Paso horse, and the Declaration of Independence.
There is also a bill, by the ruling party’s Manuel Morales, that seeks to establish requirements for the declaration of national symbols. The bill has already been approved and is awaiting further processing in the Plenary.
