Nicoyano.com

Guanacaste Guanacaste is the largest of the seven provinces in Costa Rica and least populated. Today, it is considered to be the area of greatest tourist attraction with its beaches, resorts and national parks. Costa Rica acquired its independence in 1815.  At the time the area now known as Guanacaste was considered part of Nicaragua.  In 1824 the people of the ‘Nicoya Partido’ voted to annex themselves to Costa Rica.  A national holiday is celebrated on July 25th. Much of the folklore, music and color known throughout Costa Rica originated in Guanacaste.  The ‘casado’ a typical Costa Rican dinner is another good example.

The Costa Rican national tree, the Guanacaste (Enterolobium Cyclocarpum) leguminous, is native to the area.