The History of Tortuguero
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Precolumbian Period
The first inhabitants of Tortuguero were very similar to the Mayan people
who lived in what is now Mexico. The lived by hunting small
animals and wild birds, fishing in the rivers, and catching the
turtles that came to lay their eggs. They also cultivated roots
such as yucca and harvested the pejubaye fruit that was abundant.
Their homes were conical, and spacious with a roof of palm leaves or
grass and were frequently filled by two or three families living in
the same house at the same time.
In Costa Rica, the north atlantic coast was part of the Mayan trade route
that extended from Mexico throughout Central America. The Mayan
emperor sent explorers to Nicaragua and Costa Rica in search of gold.
The majority of the gold stopped in Mexico, although the indigenous
people here used some to make small figurines and jewelry.
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Ancient inhabitants of Tortuguero
(pictures from information kiosk in Tortuguero National Park)
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Colonial Period
The first
Spanish settlement in the region was San Juan de la Cruz, located at
the mouth of the river San Juan about 40 kilometers north of
Tortuguero. It was founded in 1541 to facilitate commerce between
Panama and Nicaragua. The settlement’s 25 inhabitants only stayed
there 2 years and moved on to more populated areas.
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There was a
series of short-duration Spanish settlements up until the mid 19th
century. Cacao plantations were established close to Matina, about 56
kilometers south of Tortuguero. The indigenous people and the
Afro-Caribbean culture (brought to Costa Rica by the Spaniards) worked
as slaves cultivating cacao. Tribes of Zambo-Miskitos, sailing along
the coast between Honduras and Nicaragua, repeatedly stole the
harvest. In this era, this powerful and armed tribe composed of
Miskitos indigenous people and escaped slaves controlled nearly the
entire Caribbean coast. They interrupted the cacao operations to such
an extent that in 1848 the last plantation was abandoned.
In the 19th
century, sailors and merchants knew about Tortuguero because of the
thousands of sea turtles that nested there. The Europeans sought out
turtle meat, oil and shell with the very same Zambo-Miskitos who had
given such trouble to the cacao plantations, because they were skilled
turtle fishermen.
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The
Railroad
In 1890, a railroad
was completed from Limón to San José. Before this, transportation along
the Atlantic coast and to the central valley had been very difficult. In
1871, hundreds of Afro-Caribbeans who spoke English, mostly from Jamaica,
immigrated to work on the railroad. They brought their own culture based
on their adopted language and their African roots.
It was during this
period that the export of the green turtle began on a large scale. In
1912, a car weighing 18 tons began to do trips from Limón. They would put
the turtles in small cages or corrals in the river until they could be
loaded on trains and boats to make their way to the United States and
Europe.
The
Wood Era
Some of the
inhabitants in Tortuguero still reme
mber
when the first wood mill opened in the 1940’s. It transformed the village—quadrupling
the population, improving transportation, establishing a school, y making
possible
doctor’s visits. During this time, the wood companies paid fixed salaries
to local people who before had fought to get by. However, none of the wood
businesses in
Tortuguero
became very successful, and as each failed in turn, it left the village
overpopulated with a very
difficult economic situation.
The “Atlantic
Trading Company” was the first of the wood businesses to construct its own
mill. It employed 250 workers cutting down the beautiful local woods.
The “Deslo Lumber Company” followed and suffered many complications and
changes in ownership.
The
wood mills were
located where the principal dock is today. When they were functioning,
the cut trunks were floated from the forest to this point, and from there
they cut them into boards, which they later transported via ocean to Limón
to market them to
oth
er
places in Costa Rica and in the world.
Today, near the
center of town, you can still see the old rusted machinery left over from
the vanished wood companies. Their other legacy in the area are the
canals that they
dug to transport the
wood, which are now part of the Tortuguero National Park. Thousands of
people visit every year to tour the canals and see the abundant natural
beauty of the area.
Until
the Present
With the cessation of work in
wood around 1972 the majority of the workers disappeared, and the
population returned to the old local families, although some of the more
recently arrived families stayed as well. The village returned to the old
way of life—farming, hunting, and fishing.
One change that facilitated
progress toward the Tortuguero that exists today, was the construction of
canals to connect the natural waterways between Limón (south), Tortuguero,
and Barra Colorado (north). The former method of travel (by ocean) was
risky due to the inconsistent climate of the region and the dangers of
disembarking by Tortuguero. The river route followed a system of lagoons
and other waterways and avoided the dangers of the sea.
In 1972, the first public telephone was installed and in 1979 the
government established boat transportation to Tortuguero two times per
week. The first electrical generator began to function in 1982.
Currently tourism
is the principal industry of the village. Tourism has grown due to the
construction of various hotels in and around the area, improved access to
the region, and the creation of the Tortuguero National Park in 1972. In
the village itself, many of the families rent cabinas and serve typical
food in local restaurants. There are more than 100 local guides to attend
to the visitors that come to the area.
The
Future
Tortuguero seems to have a future full of
promise. In past eras, its inhabitants weathered economic cycles. Those
that stayed after the wood businesses disappeared barely survived by
hunting, fishing, and agriculture. Tortuguero National Park offers an
alternative to this unstable existence, because the incredible natural
resources of this area, if well preserved, will attract more and more
visitors. The last few years there has been a strong effort to organize
and educate the villagers about how to protect their natural resources.
The Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC) has been an important group
in undertaking this public awareness campaign in the village itself and
with the surrounding hotels. The educational system here in the village
has been strengthened in the past few years. For the first time ever,
Tortuguero High School handed out its first diplomas in December 2006. In
addition, Tortuguero has also developed educational institutions from
preschool up through adult night classes. Two times a week, medical
personnel visit and attend health problems in the local clinic. There is
a constant supply of electricity, and there is also a reliable supply of
clean, healthy water. Although there is still a lot of work to do, with
the motivation and works of the CCC, National Park, tourists, hotels, and
of course the villagers, Tortuguero has a very bright future.
*SOURCE:
Information kiosk near the playground in
Tortuguero, personal interviews. Pictures taken from the information
booth at the National Park.
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