...Costa Rica, which had joined other Central…

...Costa Rica, which had joined other Central American provinces in 1821 in a joint declaration of independence from Spain.

After a brief time in the Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide, Costa Rica had become a state in the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823.

In 1824, the capital had been moved to San José, but following a rivalry with Cartago that had been violent.

Although the newly independent provinces had formed a Federation, border disputes have broken out among them, adding to the region's turbulent history and conditions.

Costa Rica's northern Guanacaste Province had been annexed from Nicaragua in one such regional dispute.