AVIATION FIELD 
San Jose lies directly on airplane routes between the Americas. 
SWIMMING POOL AT ONE OF THE CLUBS 
SAN JOSE 
^5 
Who are the people of Costa Rica today? 1 his question 
is well, if briefly, answered by the late Wallace 1 hompson in 
his admirable work, “Rainbow Countries of Central America.”* 
Writing on the make-up of the population, said this popular 
author: “Costa Rica has what is actually the only pure 
European population (except for the tiny aristocracies) be¬ 
tween the Rio Grande at the northern Mexican border and 
Uruguay beyond the equator in South America. And this 
under the almost direct rays of the tropical sun! 
“Racially the Costa Ricans are unique in Latin America in 
another respect, for they are not only of pure European stock, 
as Chile, Uruguay and Argentina are, but they are Spanish 
only, which the great South American white populations are 
not. They are, in addition, of three distinct and significant 
Spanish origins, Galicia, Aragon and Biscay. Ihe Gallegos, 
peaceful workers and farmers, with fixed and provincial ideas 
but of stolid energy, give character to the workers of the 
country, and the Aragoneses give a trait of firm business sense 
that appraises peace and prosperity at a more conventional 
value than do some other Americans. Ihe Vascos or Basques 
are of that great race, not Latin but perhaps Celtic, which has 
given many artists and administrators to Spain and to France, 
and much of their enviable national character to Argentina, 
to Chile, and to other lands where they have settled thickly. 
“As a whole, these serene, solemn workmen, in rags though 
they be, are proud and well-knit, never loose-jointed and lolling 
as too often is characteristic of the Tropics. They are self- 
respecting and respectful always, offended if you, as the social 
superior or as the stranger, do not take the honorable side of 
the walk, next to the wall, or if you, as a male, do not jump 
*By Wallace Thompson. Published by E. P. Dutton & Co., New York. 
Quotations by permission of the publishers. 
