San Lucas Island
Encyclopedia
San Lucas Island is an island located off the Pacific shore of Costa Rica
.
It is part of the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton
of the province of Puntarenas
.
Formerly serving as an island prison, it is now a National Park.
groups lived on San Lucas and the surrounding islands. There are eight known archeological sites on the island, including apparent houses where stone tools and a metal object were found in the late 1970s. The excavation sites date to between 1,000 and 1,500 AD.
The former buildings of the penal island are considered "Patrimonio de Cultura," or cultural heritage sites. The buildings include a historic dock that is still in use after the first dock was destroyed, a church, a medical building, temporary holding cells, a three story main office, a large concrete disc used to hold a water tank, and water pumps. In addition, there are prison cells of varying security levels depending on the prisoners' crimes. The prison cells contain the typical graffiti of older Latin American prisons, such as religious phrases, pornographic images, signatures, and drawings. There are also several water pumps and a cemetery under excavation on the island.
José León Sánchez
, a prisoner of the island, wrote "La Isla de Hombres Solos," translated into English as "The Island of Lonely Men," based on his time in the prison at San Lucas Island. León claimed that he was unjustly imprisoned for a robbery that he did not commit. Other prisoners included Beltrán Cortés Carvajal, the famous killer of the doctors Carlos Manuel Echandi Lahmann and Ricardo Moreno Cañas
.There is also a drawing that is said to be that of the nurse treating the patients in one holding cell that was raped and murdered by the prisoners in the holding, painted on the wall, wearing nothing but a bra and underwear that is said to be made of her own blood, but it doesn't really look like real blood, and on the opposite wall there is another human drawing wearing the same outfit as the nurse except hers is actually made out of human blood.
The island includes a wide variety of wildlife, such as howler monkeys, spiders, snakes, deer, and pheasants. There are also at least 8 species of bats on the island. The waters surrounding the island are home to hammerhead sharks, rays, and turtles.
occasionally sends young volunteers to help rangers clear beaches to make the island more attractive for tourism.
Now it is a full-fledged tourist destination, with several companies offering charters to the island.. There is great concern that the tourist activities are destroying pre-Columbian
sites and the prison's archeological significance, as well as the wildlife habitats of the area.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
It is part of the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton
Puntarenas Canton
Puntarenas is the name of the first canton in the province of Puntarenas in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 1,842.33 km², and has a population of 109,798. Its capital is the provincial capital city of Puntarenas....
of the province of Puntarenas
Puntarenas
Puntarenas is the capital and largest city in the province Puntarenas, Costa Rica, at the Pacific coast. The eponymous and oddly shaped province has its largest section in the South, far from the capital.Some 100,000 live in the city and close towns...
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Formerly serving as an island prison, it is now a National Park.
Indigenous Culture
IndigenousIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
groups lived on San Lucas and the surrounding islands. There are eight known archeological sites on the island, including apparent houses where stone tools and a metal object were found in the late 1970s. The excavation sites date to between 1,000 and 1,500 AD.
Prison
From 1873 to 1991, San Lucas Island was a penal island for some of the worst criminals in Costa Rica. It is often erroneously cited as the largest prison in Costa Rican history. It was founded by the dictator Tomás Miguel Guardia Gutiérrez. Being sent to San Lucas Island was a terrible prospect as prisoners lives were short and often spent in torture. Ironically, Guardia abolished the death penalty a year after establishing the prison.The former buildings of the penal island are considered "Patrimonio de Cultura," or cultural heritage sites. The buildings include a historic dock that is still in use after the first dock was destroyed, a church, a medical building, temporary holding cells, a three story main office, a large concrete disc used to hold a water tank, and water pumps. In addition, there are prison cells of varying security levels depending on the prisoners' crimes. The prison cells contain the typical graffiti of older Latin American prisons, such as religious phrases, pornographic images, signatures, and drawings. There are also several water pumps and a cemetery under excavation on the island.
José León Sánchez
José León Sánchez
José León Sánchez Alvarado is a Costa Rican novelist born in 1930, best known for his works Isla de los hombres solos and Tenochtitlan. He was born in Cucaracho del Río Cuarto, Puntarenas. A movie adaptation of his novel, Isla de los hombres solos was made and released by a Mexican...
, a prisoner of the island, wrote "La Isla de Hombres Solos," translated into English as "The Island of Lonely Men," based on his time in the prison at San Lucas Island. León claimed that he was unjustly imprisoned for a robbery that he did not commit. Other prisoners included Beltrán Cortés Carvajal, the famous killer of the doctors Carlos Manuel Echandi Lahmann and Ricardo Moreno Cañas
Ricardo Moreno Cañas
Ricardo Moreno Cañas was a Costa Rican politician. He was assassinated by Beltrán Cortés....
.There is also a drawing that is said to be that of the nurse treating the patients in one holding cell that was raped and murdered by the prisoners in the holding, painted on the wall, wearing nothing but a bra and underwear that is said to be made of her own blood, but it doesn't really look like real blood, and on the opposite wall there is another human drawing wearing the same outfit as the nurse except hers is actually made out of human blood.
Wildlife
In 2008, Costa Rica declared the island part of the national wildlife preserve, a ceremony which featured a speech by former prisoner León.The island includes a wide variety of wildlife, such as howler monkeys, spiders, snakes, deer, and pheasants. There are also at least 8 species of bats on the island. The waters surrounding the island are home to hammerhead sharks, rays, and turtles.
Tourism
The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo began planning to invest money into tourism on the island by developing commercial spaces for restaurants, beaches, and tour operators. The volunteer organization Raleigh InternationalRaleigh International
Raleigh International is a UK-based youth and sustainable development charity that aims to help people of all backgrounds and nationalities to discover their full potential through their work to improve communities and protect the environment....
occasionally sends young volunteers to help rangers clear beaches to make the island more attractive for tourism.
Now it is a full-fledged tourist destination, with several companies offering charters to the island.. There is great concern that the tourist activities are destroying pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
sites and the prison's archeological significance, as well as the wildlife habitats of the area.