Background
Próspero Fernández Oreamuno was born in San José on 18 July 1834.
Próspero Fernández Oreamuno was born in San José on 18 July 1834.
He came to power following the 12-year dictatorship of Tomás Guardia Gatiérrez and ushered in a decade of change that set Costa Rica’s course for the next 50 years. The Guardia dictatorship, a period of material progress, had ended the domination of the landed elites and provided the opportunity for the emerging commercial and professional classes of San José to seize political power. Fernández, a general, chose to represent these new groups when he assumed the presidency upon the dictator’s death.