The governments of the United States and Costa Rica today signed a cooperation agreement that unites two protected national parks of both countries and that were historical prisons that produced literature, cinema and many artistic manifestations.
Alcatraz Island is a US National Historic Landmark, is located in the San Francisco Bay and belongs to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, while San Lucas Island was recently declared a “National Park”, it is located in the Gulf of Nicoya and is part of the Central Pacific Conservation Area.
The most widely read novel in the literary history of Costa Rica speaks about this place, “The Island of Lonely Men”, written by José León Sánchez, winner of the Magón Prize for Culture and the most international of Costa Rican writers.
Alcatraz is a famous island because it inspired many films and whose fame lay in the inhuman conditions of overcrowding and that it was practically impossible to escape from the prison that was for a time (1859-1963). Similarly, San Lucas was a prison of inhumane treatment (1873-1991) whose escape had an unhappy end in the vast majority of opportunities.
“Twinning” Agreement
“With this Twinning Agreement (…) it is intended to enrich the experiences and capacities of the personnel who work in these sites, through projects and other cooperation initiatives, through the exchange of technical and professional knowledge, information, data, technology, training and experience”, reported the Costa Rican government.
