In September 1881, General Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez, President of the Republic of Costa Rica, arrived at the Hotel de la Paz, accompanied by his country’s diplomatic representative in Paris and Madrid.
Guardia was one of the most decisive and controversial figures in nineteenth-century Costa Rican history. A career soldier, he took part in the war against William Walker’s filibusters and came to power after the coup d’état of 1870. He governed Costa Rica between 1870 and 1876 and again from 1877 until his death in 1882. His regime was authoritarian, but it also drove deep political, economic and educational reforms.
During his governments, the liberal Constitution of 1871 was promulgated, the death penalty was abolished, public education was expanded, and the railway to the Atlantic, the Banco de la Unión —today’s Banco de Costa Rica— and the National Archives were promoted. In recognition of the significance of his career, he had been declared Benemérito de la Patria (Meritorious Citizen of the Nation) in 1876.
The Madrid press announced his arrival and stay at the Hotel de la Paz on 25 September 1881. His visit was part of a long journey through Europe, during which the Costa Rican government was temporarily left in the hands of the second designate, Salvador Lara Zamora.
The high point of his visit came on 4 October. At half past eleven in the morning, King Alfonso XII came in person to the Hotel de la Paz, accompanied only by one of his aides, to bid farewell to the Costa Rican president. The meeting lasted about half an hour and, according to the chronicle, was marked by displays of affection and promises of friendship between the two countries.
