﻿206 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  

  © 
  Publishers' 
  Photo 
  Servic 
  

   A 
  P£ON 
  TYPI5 
  OP 
  COSTA 
  RICA 
  

  

  Then, 
  too, 
  the 
  aborigines 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  a 
  mild, 
  easy-going 
  race 
  of 
  agricul- 
  

   turists, 
  with 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  lust 
  for 
  martial 
  

   conquest 
  that 
  characterized 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mexican 
  and 
  Guatemalan 
  stocks, 
  and 
  this 
  

   undoubtedly 
  played 
  a 
  part 
  in 
  forming 
  the 
  

   present-day 
  population. 
  

  

  Graves 
  of 
  these 
  original 
  inhabitants, 
  

   which 
  are 
  being 
  constantly 
  unearthed, 
  

   indicate 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  a 
  fair 
  amount 
  of 
  

   civilization, 
  making 
  passable 
  pottery 
  and 
  

   urn-king 
  many 
  ornaments 
  rather 
  crudely 
  

   in 
  gold, 
  although 
  stone 
  images 
  which 
  they 
  

   have 
  left 
  show 
  that 
  artistically 
  they 
  were 
  

   far 
  inferior 
  to 
  the 
  civilizations 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mexican-Guatemalan 
  region 
  (see 
  pages 
  

   [ 
  09-130). 
  

  

  These 
  images 
  are 
  a 
  constant 
  object 
  of 
  

  

  search, 
  of 
  course, 
  in 
  

   all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  repub- 
  

   lic, 
  and 
  the 
  frequency 
  

   with 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  

   found 
  shows 
  alluvial 
  

   gold 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  

   plentiful 
  some 
  centu- 
  

   ries 
  ago 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  now. 
  

   Aside 
  from 
  Spanish 
  

   immigrants, 
  who 
  are 
  

   numerous, 
  the 
  foreign 
  

   population 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  

   few 
  thousand, 
  mostly 
  

   men 
  engaged 
  in 
  busi- 
  

   ness 
  or 
  mining. 
  Plan- 
  

   tations 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  

   of 
  natives, 
  outside 
  the 
  

   banana 
  industry. 
  

  

  MINIONS 
  OP 
  BUNCHES 
  

   OP 
  BANANAS 
  EX- 
  

   PORTED 
  ANNUALLY 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  needless 
  to 
  say 
  

   that 
  agriculture 
  is 
  the 
  

   chief 
  industry 
  and 
  re- 
  

   source 
  of 
  the 
  republic. 
  

   In 
  fact, 
  just 
  now 
  it 
  is 
  

   almost 
  the 
  sole 
  re- 
  

   source, 
  since 
  manufac- 
  

   tures 
  are 
  lacking 
  and 
  

   mining 
  is 
  almost 
  sus- 
  

   pended. 
  Bananas 
  hold 
  

   first 
  place, 
  with 
  95,400 
  

   acres 
  under 
  cultiva- 
  

   tion 
  ; 
  coffee 
  follows, 
  

   with 
  an 
  annual 
  yield 
  

   reaching 
  24,000,000 
  

   pounds. 
  Maize, 
  sugar- 
  

   cane, 
  rice, 
  and 
  potatoes 
  are 
  other 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  crops. 
  

  

  Costa 
  Rica's 
  banana 
  industry 
  has 
  been 
  

   created 
  by 
  an 
  American 
  fruit 
  company, 
  

   which 
  has 
  a 
  monopoly. 
  The 
  rankly 
  fer- 
  

   tile 
  soil 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  has 
  been 
  cleared 
  of 
  

   natural 
  growth 
  and 
  plantations 
  extended 
  

   year 
  by 
  year, 
  principally 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  

   Port 
  Limon, 
  while 
  light 
  railways 
  bring 
  

   the 
  crop 
  to 
  tidewater, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  loaded 
  

   on 
  barges 
  and 
  taken 
  to 
  Port 
  Limon 
  for 
  

   transshipment 
  in 
  the 
  company's 
  own 
  

   steamers 
  (see 
  page 
  202). 
  

  

  The 
  republic 
  sends 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   more 
  bananas 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  country 
  — 
  

   from 
  7,000,000 
  to 
  9,000,000 
  bunches 
  a 
  

   year 
  — 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  high 
  quality. 
  As 
  

   the 
  industry 
  represents 
  an 
  entirely 
  for- 
  

  

  