Today September 30th marks 160 years since the assassination of Juan Rafael Mora Porras, who was president of Costa Rica on three consecutive occasions and is also recognized for having led the country to victory over the filibusters led by William Walker, in the National Campaign from 1856-1857.
It is important to mention that Juan Rafael Mora was recognized on September 16, 2010, by the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica as a “national hero and liberator.” He is one of the most recognized and important characters in Costa Rican history.
Successes of the government of Juan Rafael Mora for the time
Among the first successes for the time achieved during his government were: The recognition of Costa Rican independence by Spain and the creation by Pius IX of the diocese of Costa Rica (March 1, 1850), whose first bishop, Anselmo Llorente y Lafuente , was consecrated the following year in Guatemala.
In 1853 he was reelected. He improved the highway from Cartago to the port of Puntarenas, a road that helped accelerate the economic development of the country, and enacted other progressive provisions that were made during his mandate.
José María Cañar one of the heroes of the National Campaign of 1856-1857
In the year 1860, José María Cañas was also shot, who is remembered mainly for his prominent role at the head of the Costa Rican army, during the National Campaign of 1856-1857, which pitted the Central American nations against William Walker’s filibusters. and noble. His remains rest in the General Cemetery of San José, where they rest in his family’s mausoleum since 1881.
Currently in Costa Rica there are several places that pay tribute to José María Cañas for his great work in Costa Rican history. These places are:
• Mora y Cañas Park (1918), built on the site of Los Jobos, where both Juan Rafael Mora and Cañas were shot.
• In San José, Cañas Park, located in front of the Pacific Railroad Station, bears his name. There is an effigy in his honor.
• In room No. 2 of the Juan Santamaría Historical-Cultural Museum in the city of Alajuela, a bullet with which he was shot and a piece of the tree to which he was tied is kept.
• The highway located between San José and Alajuela bears the name of General Cañas. This highway is the main connection to the Juan Santamaría airport, so both important infrastructures are named after heroes of the National Campaign.
Here is an excerpt from General Cañas‘ farewell letter to his wife before he was shot
My Lupita.
I’m going to be shot in two hours. Do not blame anyone in your pain for such an event; and do this in memory of me.
