Independance of Costa Rica

Every September 13th, la Antorcha de la Indepencia (the torch of independence) is passed between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The government of the neighboring country hands over the torch to the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education. It’s carried by students from different regions of the country, previously chosen by their school. They are usually children and young people who stand out for their grades and academic achievements.
La Antorcha de la Indepencia Run is a traditional relay race that starts in Guatemala City and ends in Costa Rica, specifically in Cartago.
It’s a symbol of the joint celebration of the five territories (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) which are countries, that gained their independence on September 15, 1821.
What has now been a tradition for more than half a century began in the late 1950s, at the initiative of Professor Alfredo Cruz Bolaños, who was at the time the supervisor of public education.
Between 1958 and 1964, Alfredo traveled to Central America, learning how Independence Day was commemorated in each of those countries, and that’s how the idea of starting a torch run around Central America was born,” explains Sonia Gómez, historian at the Centro de Investigación y Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural.