In 1842, Costa Rican coffee planters made their first direct shipments of coffee from Puerto Puntarenas to England aboard the British vessels Sirena and Ellersllie. These direct shipments were seminal events in the history of Costa Rica. European coffee connoisseurs soon recognized Costa Rican coffee as one of the world’s finest, and scores of Costa Ricans began to study medicine, engineering and the fine arts at Europe’s most prestigious universities. More importantly, Costa Rica now had access to Europe’s wealth.

This infusion of wealth allowed, for example, the construction of the magnificent El Teatro Nacional (The National Theater) in 1897.

Celebration of 100 Years of Independence,
El Teatro Nacional, 1921.