Plaza de la Democracia

Open plaza beside the National Museum, site of Costa Rica's demilitarization declaration

A broad, open plaza on the south side of the National Museum, built in 1989 to commemorate 100 years of Costa Rican democracy. It is not the most intimate of public spaces — the scale favours political rallies and official ceremonies — but the view from the plaza toward the bullet-scarred walls of the former fortress is striking.

Along the western side of the plaza runs an informal craft market where vendors sell jade replicas, painted oxcarts, wooden carvings, and textiles. It is the most concentrated place in the city centre to shop for souvenirs, and prices are negotiable.

things to do sight
A story
On December 1, 1948, President José Figueres Ferrer stood in the courtyard of the Cuartel Bellavista — now the National Museum — and symbolically abolished the Costa Rican army by handing the keys of the fortress to the Minister of Education. Plaza de la Democracia was later built to commemorate that act, which made Costa Rica one of the first countries in the world to abolish its military.