Liberia

Liberia is the capital of Guanacaste and known as the white city for the pale adobe and lime-washed houses of its old quarter, single-storey buildings with corner doors, tiled roofs and interior courtyards, of which a number survive along Calle Real and around the old church of La Agonia. It was a cattle town at the centre of the sabanero culture of the Guanacaste plains, and the Guanacaste Museum in the old jail covers that history. Most visitors pass through: the international airport is here and serves the northern beach coast, and the town is the last stop for services before the coast or Rincon de la Vieja.

History

Liberia began, with no formal act of foundation, as a hermitage set up on 4 September 1769 where the roads from Rivas, Bagaces and Nicoya met, a resting place for travellers; the great guanacaste trees gave shade to people and cattle, and the place became known as El Poblado de Guanacaste. When the Partido de Nicoya voted to join Costa Rica on 25 July 1824, the people of Guanacaste, tied by trade to Rivas, chose to stay with Nicaragua, but in 1826 the congress of the Federal Republic of Central America added the town to Costa Rica. It overtook Nicoya as the main settlement of the area, became Villa de Guanacaste on 23 July 1831 and Ciudad de Guanacaste on 3 September 1836, was part of the new province of Guanacaste from 1848, and on 30 May 1854 a decree renamed it Liberia (Wikipedia, Liberia, Costa Rica).

What's there

• Calle Real - the street of surviving white adobe houses.
• La Agonia church - the old church at the end of the street.
• The Guanacaste Museum - the sabanero and regional history collection.
• The central park - the square at the middle of the town.

When to go

December to April in the dry season, when Guanacaste is at its hottest and driest; the town is very hot in March and April. Mornings are the only comfortable time to walk. Guanacaste Day in July brings celebrations.

What to expect

Most of the town is modern and the historic quarter is a few streets. Heat in the dry season is severe. The museum is small. It functions mainly as a transit and services stop.

Nearby

Rincon de la Vieja lies northeast; the Papagayo coast is west.

Key facts