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On July 30, 1950, Costa Rica witnessed a quiet but groundbreaking revolution: for the first time, women voted alongside men, marking a turning point in the country’s democratic history. The occasion was a local plebiscite to determine whether the communities of La Tigra and La Fortuna would remain part of the canton of San Ramón or be annexed to San Carlos. The communities ultimately joined San Carlos, where they remain today. But more significant than the territorial shift was the equality at the ballot box.According to the National Institute for Women (INAMU), the voter registry that day included 349 women and 426 men. Among them was Bernarda Vásquez, a 32-year-old housewife from La Tigra. She is remembered as the first woman to cast a vote in Costa Rica, becoming a symbol of the long-fought battle for gender equality in politics. Women’s suffrage in Costa Rica was officially recognized on June 20, 1949, when the Second Republic’s Constituent Assembly voted to include it in the co...

Monsignor Daniel Blanco, Auxiliary Bishop of San José, Costa Rica, presented Pope Leo XIV with a special gift during the general audience held at the Vatican. The offering consisted of Costa Rican coffee and honey, sourced from small-scale and predominantly women-led producers supported by the Catholic Church. “Coffee and honey were chosen because they are made by producers, and mainly female producers, who are accompanied by the Catholic Church in Costa Rica through the Social Pastoral Ministry of the Archdiocese of San José,” explained Blanco. The coffee was produced in Frailes de Desamparados and the honey in Bijagual de Aserrí. Blanco emphasized that these efforts reflect principles promoted by the late Pope Francis, particularly through the “Economy of Francis and Clare,” a movement advocating for economic practices grounded in social justice, environmental sustainability, and ethical responsibility. “These have been processes inspired by the Economy of Francis and Clare, whic...

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In a weird way, stinky turtles have led to my current life as a guy in Costa Rica working in wildlife monitoring. Up until the age of ten I lived in southern New Jersey. The area I grew up in wasn’t exactly a hotspot for species diversity, but it did have a positive feature for those with a zest for wildlife – lakes. Historically, the area had been the site of cranberry production. By the time I showed up, the old cranberry bogs were shallow lakes full of fish, birds, and reptiles. I spent my younger years fishing and splashing around in the lake across the street from my house. One of my favorite things to do was to get a net with a long pole and walk around the edges of the lake and see what creatures I could scoop up. A frequent target of my net was a little turtle called a stinkpot (Sternotherus odoratus). Stinkpots were small, dark, highly domed turtles that earned their name by having a funky, stagnant water smell. As a ten-year-old kid, nothing made me happier than spending ti...

Costa Rica has formally adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s ( IHRA ) working definition of antisemitism. This step positions the country as the sixth in Latin America to take such action, after Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, and Uruguay. The announcement came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighting the move as part of ongoing efforts to fight discrimination and promote human rights. Foreign Minister Arnoldo André Tinoco issued a statement supporting the definition. He described it as a guide to spot and address antisemitism in different forms. President Rodrigo Chaves also backed the decision, showing leadership in tackling hate amid regional concerns. The adoption followed discussions between Costa Rican officials and a delegation from the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Dina Siegel Vann, who leads AJC’s institute for Latino and Latin American affairs, said the group raised alarms about increasing antisemitic incidents since the October 7,...

Costa Rican authorities took down a cocaine smuggling operation Tuesday that moved drugs from South America to the United States, with a judicial worker caught in the mix. Police arrested about ten people, including the group’s leader, his family, a traffic officer, and the judicial employee. They faced charges of tipping off the group about police moves and probes. The network picked up cocaine shipments from Panama and shipped them out from Costa Rica to spots in the northern hemisphere, according to Randall Zúñiga, head of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). Raids hit areas like Pérez Zeledón, San Isidro el Viejo, Puerto Jiménez, and Buenos Aires. The boss, a Panamanian who became a Costa Rican citizen, got nabbed along with his wife and one son. This group washed their cash through sales of cattle, horses, and high-end cars, plus other ventures. Zúñiga said they cleaned close to two million dollars tied up in assets. Costa Rica deals with growing pressure from Colombian and...

The Nicaraguan government has placed historic Sandinista commander Bayardo Arce, economic adviser to President Daniel Ortega, under house arrest, according to exiled opposition members and Nicaraguan media in exile on Tuesday. Arce, a 76-year-old former guerrilla, had served as a presidential adviser since 2007. However, in recent years, he had been sidelined from his duties and, according to local media, could be linked to acts of corruption. The Sandinista commander has been caught up in an internal purge within the government ahead of a succession process for the 79-year-old Ortega, who suffers from chronic illnesses, experts and exiled opponents said Tuesday. “ Rosario Murillo is cleaning house,” former guerrilla commander Dora María Téllez told AFP from her exile in Spain, attributing Arce’s house arrest to Ortega’s co-president and wife. Arce is the third former member of the old guard of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN, the ruling leftist party) to be placed ...

A new trial against five Salvadoran environmentalists, accused of murdering a woman in 1989 during the civil war, will take place on Tuesday, announced the NGO they belong to, denouncing the case as a form of “persecution” for their anti-mining activism. The environmentalists, who were guerrilla fighters at the time of the crime, were acquitted on October 18 along with three other former rebels also accused of the murder. However, a higher court overturned the ruling and ordered a retrial. Prosecutors accuse the eight of killing María Inés Alvarenga in August 1989 in the town of Santa Marta, allegedly because they believed she was an “army informant.” “The case is criminalization and persecution of environmental activism (…) they are key figures in the community resistance against metal mining,” said Alfredo Leiva, a board member of the Santa Marta Association for Economic and Social Development (ADES), during a press conference. The five environmentalists helped push through the 2...

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When it comes to choosing the best dental clinic in Costa Rica, international patients are faced with an abundance of options. But with the help of artificial intelligence, making that decision has become easier, more objective, and better informed. After analyzing thousands of data points—ranging from verified patient reviews, clinic credentials, treatment outcomes, technological capabilities, and value for money. ChatGPT’s AI-driven analysis concludes that Prisma Dental stands out as Costa Rica’s premier dental clinic. Here’s why: Proven Excellence Over Four Decades Prisma Dental, founded in 1985 by Drs. Telma Rubinstein and Josef Cordero, is one of the longest-standing and most trusted dental clinics in Costa Rica*. What began as a modest family practice has evolved into a full-service dental center attracting patients from across the globe—particularly from the United States, Canada, and Europe. AI Insight: Longevity in the medical field is a strong indicator of trust...

Costa Rica is working to increase the number of international flights entering the country, as it faces a concerning drop in tourist arrivals.  The Costa Rican Tourism Board ( ICT ) is currently negotiating new air routes with key destinations in Europe and South America. Among the potential new connections are Rome, Lisbon, and Copenhagen. These efforts respond to a significant decline in visitation from major European markets, including Germany, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom, countries that were previously among Costa Rica’s strongest sources of tourists. In the first half of 2025, air arrivals dropped by 2.8% compared to the same period in 2024. In South America, Costa Rica launched an ambitious promotional strategy in Colombia to position itself as a leading tourist destination. ICT’s South American markets coordinator, Heylin James, stated that the goal is to consolidate Costa Rica as a sustainable, diverse and accessible destination. Colombia is the third South Ame...

Costa Rican police intercepted 810 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment at the Moín Container Terminal in Limón headed for the United Kingdom. The Drug Control Police (PCD) carried out the seizure, marking the second major drug bust at the port that week. The cocaine was concealed in banana boxes inside a container at the Moín terminal, a major export hub in Limón. Vice Minister of Public Security Manuel Jiménez said that advanced scanners detected the drugs. The shipment initially cleared electronic checks but was flagged by a trained police dog, which led to the discovery of 810 packages of cocaine. The bust, valued at millions on the European market, highlights the ongoing fight against drug trafficking through Costa Rica’s ports. The Moín terminal, a key hub for banana and pineapple exports, is a frequent target for international cartels moving cocaine to Europe and North America. Since 2019, European ports have seized 88 tons of cocaine from Costa Rica, showing the ...

Nearly empty stadiums, players’ criticism of the organization, and demands for equality in South American football have marked the 2025 Women’s Copa América in Ecuador, which will enter the semifinals starting Monday. The 10th edition of the tournament has revealed major gaps compared to the UEFA Women’s Euro, whose final will be played Sunday between Spain and England. Here are three key complaints that emerged during the first phase of South America’s premier women’s football tournament: 1. No VAR Chilean player Yanara Aedo issued a direct complaint against CONMEBOL, which is responsible for organizing the tournament, after her team lost 2–1 to Argentina amid protests over a non-awarded penalty. “It’s a huge sign of disrespect that there is no VAR in this Copa América. It’s a women’s Copa América — it should be the same as the men’s,” she told the press. The forward compared the situation to the UEFA Women’s Euro, where VAR was implemented from the start. In Copa América, it will...

Keylor Navas kicked off his Mexican league journey with Pumas UNAM in style, leading the team to a 2–0 win over Querétaro at Estadio Corregidora. The Costa Rican goalkeeper, making his Liga MX debut, kept a clean sheet as Pumas secured their first victory of the Apertura 2025 season, with goals from Guillermo Martínez in the 14th minute and Jorge Ruvalcaba in the 78th. Navas, a three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, made an instant impact. Pumas showed their faith in the 38-year-old by naming him captain before he even stepped onto the pitch. “Our captain is already warming up,” Pumas posted on X, sharing a photo of Navas in the club’s kit. The decision paid off, as the team bounced back from two early season losses that had left them at the bottom of the standings with a shaky defense. Before the match, Navas rallied his new teammates with a speech in the dressing room, captured on his YouTube channel. “I believed in you the moment you invited me here. We’re a team, no...

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The Ombudsman’s Office has confirmed that Costa Rica was unprepared to provide adequate care for deportees who have entered the country since February. This conclusion is outlined in a report, process carried out by the Ombudsman’s Office, which highlights that over the past six months, there have been significant weaknesses in the oversight process. While these shortcomings have been progressively addressed, the report emphasizes the need for continued attention and reform. Angie Cruickshank, the Ombudsman, acknowledged the importance of migration agreements between countries but stressed that, in practice, all the necessary conditions for protection and care must be in place from the outset to ensure compliance with national and international human rights standards.  “Today, I say to the country that I hope, as Ombudsman, this unfortunate situation will not be repeated,particularly the conditions under which women, children, adolescents, and adults of various nationalities arri...

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the state, President José Raúl Mulino announced Thursday. Juan Bautista Quiroz waited 60 years for the official document confirming ownership of the land where he has lived for 90 years in the coffee-growing district of Boquete, in the agricultural province of Chiriquí, near the Costa Rican border. “The delivery was made at his home in Chiriquí, as recognition of his perseverance—because honestly, waiting 60 years takes perseverance,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference. “It satisfies me as a public official, but it embarrasses me as a Panamanian,” the president added. Quiroz received the two-hectare land title from the director of the National Land Administration Authority (Anati), Andrés Pagés, last week. His granddaughter, Lucía Del Carmen Espinoza, said that her grandfather has worked on that land his entire life, growing on...

The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is recognized worldwide as one of the five blue zones , where people live beyond the age of 90 in good health. This exceptional longevity results from cultural, social, and environmental factors. However, it is at risk.  The University of Costa Rica issued a warning about the emerging challenges that could compromise the sustainability of this area in the future.  In the Guanacaste area, there are up to 23 centenarians per 100,000 inhabitants. These individuals have a better lipid and glycemic profile than their offspring, are lighter, and have a better quality and diversity of diet than their relatives and adults in the urban areas of Costa Rica, according to studies conducted by the University of Costa Rica.  A worrisome change in the health of younger generations is being observed. The abandonment of the traditional diet rich in fresh and local foods has given way to a diet based on ultra-processed and high...

When it comes to AI, call me OG. Old school. I sometimes wish I could go back to a time before it existed. Artificial Intelligence is the future, they say, and I have no reason to doubt this. In many ways, it’s already here. What’s the most asked question these days online? I’m going with, “Is it real or is it AI?” The genie is out of the bottle, and the future belongs to armies of developers—nerds comfortable working with a technology that is incapable of empathy or emotional intelligence. In its present form, AI is capable of acts of pure plagiarism, scanning cyberspace at warp speed to find chunks of information requested in a prompt. I saw this firsthand a couple months back. While reading an online article about declining tourism in Costa Rica from a site called TTW (Travel and Tour World) , I recognized entire sections lifted verbatim from an article I had written for The Tico Times just two days earlier. The parts that weren’t mine were neatly categorized and given headlines...

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Costa Rica’s wildlife faces perils, as authorities have continously failed to build wildlife crossings. Nonetheless, the Constitutional Court has taken a firm stance in defense of the country’s fauna. The Cout accepted a motion of disobedience against Efraím Zeledón, executive director of the National Roads Council (CONAVI), for failing to comply with a court order to construct wildlife crossings along Route 32, critical infrastructure intended to protect monkeys, sloths , wild cats, and other species. The legal motion was filed by María Elena Fournier, an activist and member of the Roads and Wildlife Commission. She argued that Conavi has blatantly ignored a 2021 ruling by the IV Chamber, which mandated the construction of 51 wildlife crossings within three months, a deadline that was later extended (once only) by 36 months, expiring in June 2024. According to Fournier’s filing, while 29 of the 31 planned underpasses have been built, none are fully functional due to the a...

Ten of Costa Rica’s leading business chambers have sent a joint letter to the Central Bank calling for an immediate adjustment to the country’s monetary policy. They argue that the persistently low dollar exchange rate is damaging all sectors of the economy and driving up production costs. Sergio Capon, president of the Costa Rican Chamber of Industries (CICR), said the current monetary stance is overly restrictive and stifling business growth. A recent survey cited by the chambers found the exchange rate to be the top concern among business leaders. The chambers also warned of rising prices and overall cost increases that are eroding Costa Ricans’ purchasing power. Costa Rica now enters the second half of the year facing both external and internal pressures that could further impact its economy and the dollar exchange rate. Global conflicts—such as the war in the Middle East—along with higher oil prices and the possibility of rising international interest rates, are all raising ala...

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The leader of Panama’s main union, Saúl Méndez, accused of fraud and money laundering, left for exile in Bolivia this Saturday. He had taken refuge in the Bolivian embassy two months ago after denouncing political persecution, the organization reported. His departure comes two days after the Panamanian government filed a lawsuit in a labor court seeking to dissolve the construction union Suntracs, the largest labor organization in the country, where Méndez serves as secretary general. “We go and we’ll return. Long live the Panamanian people!” Méndez shouted as he left the diplomatic mission in Panama City, escorted by police and surrounded by supporters, after the government granted him safe passage to leave the country. On its X (formerly Twitter) account, Suntracs announced that Méndez “is going into exile,” but said he had “not been silenced” nor “defeated.” Another union leader, Erasmo Cerrud, is currently sheltered in the Nicaraguan embassy, awaiting safe passage to leave witho...

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Another money laundering case has shaken Costa Rica. Following a series of raids that dismantled a laundering network operating through legal and illegal lottery sales, the Social Protection Board (Junta de Protección Social, JPS) confirmed that one of its officials is under investigation. The JPS also warned about connections between clandestine lotteries and organized crime. Several bank employees are also implicated. The operation, carried out Thursday by the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ), included 24 simultaneous raids across various regions, particularly in the north. Authorities arrested eight individuals and summoned ten others, among them public officials, for questioning. The network reportedly ran at least 80 lottery sales points used to launder money from other criminal activities. “The Social Protection Board remains in active collaboration with the competent authorities,” the institution said in an official statement. It also noted that many illegal lotteries are ...

The film The Laundromat , starring Meryl Streep, damaged Panama’s reputation by drawing inspiration from a real-life story: the global scandal that erupted a decade ago over offshore companies based in this Central American country used to launder money and evade taxes. Shaking off the stigma of the “Panama Papers” is no easy task, acknowledges the government, which is celebrating the European Union’s (EU) decision to remove Panama from its list of “high-risk” countries for money laundering and terrorism financing as a victory. “That unfair image pinned on Panama” is beginning to be corrected, says Economy and Finance Minister Felipe Chapman, who asserts that Panama is “cooperative” in the fight against money laundering. However, Panama remains on the EU’s tax haven list. According to Olga de Obaldía, executive director of the local chapter of the NGO Transparency International, the country “still faces major structural challenges” to prevent “money laundering linked to drug traffic...

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A small group of overstretched and outmatched lawyers is fighting for the rights of men deported by the Trump administration and held in a notorious Salvadoran prison — a David vs. Goliath battle that may end up in international courts. In a half-empty old schoolhouse outside San Salvador, lawyer Rene Valiente is trying to determine the fate of 252 Venezuelan migrants expelled from the United States in March without any kind of court hearing. He is the investigations coordinator for Cristosal, a human rights NGO that is challenging El Salvador’s all-powerful president, Nayib Bukele, and his even more powerful US ally, President Donald Trump. For months, Valiente and his team have gone from jail to ministry to courthouse, trying to find out more about those being held at the tightly controlled CECOT facility, and to have the men’s legal rights recognized. With both the Trump and Bukele administrations stonewalling, the lawyers have had little success. Valiente has no visitation rights...

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A strong earthquake struck off Panama’s Pacific coast today, rattling the region but causing no reported injuries or destruction. Seismologists pegged the magnitude at 6.2, though some early reports listed it higher at 6.6. The tremor hit at 11:53 a.m. local time, or 16:53 GMT, with the epicenter in the ocean about 206 kilometers south of Punta Burica, close to the Costa Rica border. It sat at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Other monitoring groups, like Volcano Discovery, noted a similar spot 124 kilometers southeast of Burica. Omar Smith, head of Panama’s National Civil Protection System, posted that no tsunami warnings went out. “We keep monitoring across the country,” he said. Officials confirmed the lack of alerts and ongoing checks. People felt the shake in parts of Panama, and reports trickled in from nearby Colombia, where the Colombian Geological Service logged it as 6.6. In Costa Rica, folks near the border sensed it too, but no ha...

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Jannik Sinner is the quiet man of tennis who has become a big noise, burnishing his legacy on Sunday by winning his first Wimbledon title. The Italian beat his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the latest instalment of their captivating rivalry to claim his fourth Grand Slam at the age of 23. The pair are the new dominant forces in men’s tennis, sharing the past seven Grand Slams between them as the memory of the “Big Three” era fades. While Alcaraz is the flashy showman of the game, adored by the fans for his high-risk, high-reward tennis, Sinner stays ice-cold on the court and mild-mannered off it. His game is based on relentless power and accuracy from the baseline, resembling that of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The Italian is getting used to life at the top, reaching his fourth successive major final at Wimbledon this year — a run that started with the US Open last season. Sinner defended his Australian Open title in Melbourne in January but his ...

A 3,800-year-old citadel belonging to the Caral civilization—one of the oldest in the world—opened its doors to the public this Saturday after eight years of research and restoration work. It is located in northern Peru. The new archaeological site, called Peñico , has been described by its discoverers as “the city of social integration” because it served as a meeting point for commercial exchanges between early Pacific coast communities and those from the Andes and Amazon regions. Peñico is located in the Supe Valley, 182 km north of Lima and about 20 km from the Pacific Ocean. “It’s an organized urban center that focused on agriculture and trade between the coast, highlands, and jungle,” archaeologist Ruth Shady said. Shady leads the research on the Caral civilization. “Its age ranges from 1,800 to 1,500 years before Christ, so it’s not as old as Caral,” Shady noted. The monument was built on a geological terrace 600 meters above sea level, parallel to a river to prevent flooding. ...