San Jose, Costa Rica – The bicentennial of the Constitution of Cadiz is a documentary exhibition at the National Archives of Costa Rica entitled “From subjects to citizens,” started August 23, 2012 and will run for a period of one year.
San Jose joins the celebrations taking place this year in Spain and Latin America around the Constitution promulgated on March 19, 1812, popularly known as “La Pepa” (for the feast of San Jose), First Letter Magna that ruled the former Spanish colonies.
The exhibition will allow the public to make a tour of the context in which it emerged that Constitution, including documents with the ideas of the Enlightenment and on the French invasion of Spain.
The program curator, Maureen Herrera, told EFE that visitors can “know the process by which 296 deputies in Spain and America issued the Constitution that, among other things was new in terms of national sovereignty and separation of powers”.
The exhibition highlights also figure Florencio del Castillo, deputy Nicoya in Costa Rica and the Courts, who played an important part in Indian defense, said Brenes.
The exhibition offers the public views of the relevant documents and correspondence by Mr. Del Castillo, as well as images of the Costa Rica at the time, decrees issued by the Cortes of Cadiz, extracts of different constitutions and Costa Rica has had photographs historical.
Most of these documents belong to the Historical Archives of the National Archives, but the exhibition is completed with pieces from the National Museum of Costa Rica, the Historical Research Center of Central and private partnerships.
For the director of the National Archives, Virginia Chacón, the exhibition is “a way to bring an issue because of the importance it represents for the country and noted figures as Florencio del Castillo, representing the country in the Cortes of Cadiz.”
Brenes argues that the primary goal is to make a historical and “generate a reflection on what the rights for which we should work the citizens of the century”.
The Cadiz Constitution laid the foundations of democracy by establishing principles such as national sovereignty, separation of powers and freedom of the press, who later took many American countries to bolster their independence processes and as inspiration for future Constitutions.
EFE
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica
