The story of how Costa Rica was almost called "Veragua"

[Shannon Farley]

Before Costa Rica became known as “Costa Rica”, it was once part of the territory of Veragua in the mysterious lands across the sea claimed by the Spanish. The area could have retained the name of Veragua if it wasn't for the misconception of huge riches the first Spanish explorers thought Costa Rica contained.

In September 1502, the small storm-battered ship of Christopher Columbus and his crew anchored in a small bay off what is now the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. Columbus was on his fourth voyage to the Americas (May 9, 1502 - Nov. 7, 1504), sailing from Cape Honduras down the eastern coasts of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Columbus christened the new Spanish colonial territories “Veragua”, encompassing present-day Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. And the name Veragua began appearing in official Spanish documents in 1504.

Columbus and his men are thought to be the first Europeans to visit Costa Rica, setting foot on mainland near present-day Limón – now a bustling seaport and the center of the Caribbean province. They spent 17 days here while they repaired their ship, and left excited about their perception that the friendly native people possessed an abundance of gold. It was an exaggerated truth, but as fate would have it, later inspired the country's name Costa Rica, meaning “rich coast”.

What does “Veragua” mean? On its own, it doesn’t mean anything in Spanish. But separate the name into two words: “Ver agua” and it means “to see water”. Could it be that Columbus came up with the name from the coastline along the Caribbean Sea? Some historical researchers believe that “Veragua” might be derived from the Ngöbe language of the Kuna people of Panama, stemming from the word “Bera Gwa”, meaning snook fish. Snook are quite prolific along the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, and were probably a main staple in the native people’s diet.

What is certain is that the name Veragua holds a 512-year history in Costa Rica, and is an auspicious name for the Veragua Rainforest nature and adventure park in the Costa Rica Caribbean mountains.

Article by Shannon Farley