From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
After Costa Rican forces ousted the mercenary army led by William Walker from Guanacaste's Hacienda Santa Rosa on March 20, 1856, the filibusters were chased back across the border into Nicaragua, where the Costa Ricans clashed again with the mercenaries in a decisive battle in the town of Rivas on April 11, 1856. It was during this encounter that Costa Rica's only National War Hero (at least the only Costa Rican to have a national holiday declared in his honor), Juan Santamaría, gained his martyrdom. A young man from the town of Alajuela, Juan was a drummer boy in the country's impromptu militia, but his moment of bravery came when the commanding officer asked for a volunteer to set fire to El Mesón de Guerra —the building the filibusters had made their stronghold. Juan, torch in hand, fulfilled his patriotic duty, but it cost him his life.
[edit] See also
