Juan Rafael Mora Porras
Encyclopedia
Juan Rafael Mora Porras (8 February 1814, San José, Costa Rica
- 30 september 1860) was President
of Costa Rica
from 1849 to 1859.
He first assumed the presidency following José María Castro
's resignation and was subsequently reelected in 1853 and 1859.
His administration modified the constitution, increasing the requirements to hold citizenship. A high yearly income was required to be a citizen; this left the majority of the population without the right to vote or run for office. The previous electoral system required citizens to be male, to be born in the country, and to be of age to have electoral rights.
This dramatic change coincided with the privatization of the commons; the landless peasants who depended on the commons were left helpless since they had no political representation and no means of achieving it given the changes in the new constitution.
Mora performed a series of military reforms that not only increased the size of the army to 9000 able men, but also sought to professionalize it. To this end he hired Polish and French military advisers and purchased state-of-the-art equipment from Great Britain.
In 1856 he led his country's forces in Central America
's war against William Walker and his filibuster
regime in Nicaragua
.
For Costa Rican historiography the war is divided into three parts: The First Campaign (March–April 1856), The Second Campaign or Transit Campaign (October 1856–May 1857), and The Third Campaign (August-December 1857)
Mora, along with Bishop Anselmo Llorente had previously given a series of speeches to arouse the people preparing for the upcoming war. The speeches emphasized the threat posed by the Protestant filibusters to the country's Catholic
identity.
The president gave his brother José Joaquín the supreme command of the army. Three battles were fought during the First Campaign: Santa Rosa, Sardinal and Rivas; these series of battles managed to stop Walker's invasion to Guanacaste—at the time known as "Moracia" in the president's honour.
During the Rivas Battle Cholera
spread out on both filibuster and Costa Rican forces. Costa Ricans under the impression that cholera was acquired on "ill-aired" locations fled from Rivas taking the water-borne disease into the country causing the death of 10% of the population.
For Costa Ricans the war was postponed until October 1856, the starting point for The Second Campaign. The emphasis of the Second Campaign was to cut off Walker's supply route which used the San Juan River
and the steamboats taken by the filibusters from the Accessory Transit Company
.
There is no knowledge of the Third Campaign.
There is still discussion on the intellectual authorship of the capture of the Rio San Juan
. Some Costa Ricans, like historian Rafael Obregón Loria, claim it was Mora who planned the capture. However, Mora met on November 1856 with Silvanius Spencer, Cornelius Vanderbilt
's agent, who offered his help on the capture of the San Juan river.
In spite of earning acclaim as a national hero for his efforts in that endeavor, he was overthrown in a coup d'état
orchestrated by his opponent Jose Maria Montealegre in August 1859. He fled to El Salvador
, where his supporters convinced him to launch an attack on Costa Rica and recoup the presidency. After initial victories, in which he succeeded in seizing the port of Puntarenas
, he was defeated, captured, and, on 30 September 1860, brought before a firing squad
.
His nephew, whom he helped raise, was the writer Manuel Argüello Mora
.
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
- 30 september 1860) was President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Costa Rica
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....
from 1849 to 1859.
He first assumed the presidency following José María Castro
José María Castro Madriz
First term:8 May 1847 to16 November 1849– Preceded by: José María Alfaro Zamora– Succeeded by: Juan Rafael MoraSecond term:8 May 1866 to1 November 1868– Preceded by: Jesús Jiménez– Succeeded by: ...
's resignation and was subsequently reelected in 1853 and 1859.
His administration modified the constitution, increasing the requirements to hold citizenship. A high yearly income was required to be a citizen; this left the majority of the population without the right to vote or run for office. The previous electoral system required citizens to be male, to be born in the country, and to be of age to have electoral rights.
This dramatic change coincided with the privatization of the commons; the landless peasants who depended on the commons were left helpless since they had no political representation and no means of achieving it given the changes in the new constitution.
Mora performed a series of military reforms that not only increased the size of the army to 9000 able men, but also sought to professionalize it. To this end he hired Polish and French military advisers and purchased state-of-the-art equipment from Great Britain.
In 1856 he led his country's forces in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
's war against William Walker and his filibuster
Filibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
regime in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
For Costa Rican historiography the war is divided into three parts: The First Campaign (March–April 1856), The Second Campaign or Transit Campaign (October 1856–May 1857), and The Third Campaign (August-December 1857)
Mora, along with Bishop Anselmo Llorente had previously given a series of speeches to arouse the people preparing for the upcoming war. The speeches emphasized the threat posed by the Protestant filibusters to the country's Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
identity.
The president gave his brother José Joaquín the supreme command of the army. Three battles were fought during the First Campaign: Santa Rosa, Sardinal and Rivas; these series of battles managed to stop Walker's invasion to Guanacaste—at the time known as "Moracia" in the president's honour.
During the Rivas Battle Cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
spread out on both filibuster and Costa Rican forces. Costa Ricans under the impression that cholera was acquired on "ill-aired" locations fled from Rivas taking the water-borne disease into the country causing the death of 10% of the population.
For Costa Ricans the war was postponed until October 1856, the starting point for The Second Campaign. The emphasis of the Second Campaign was to cut off Walker's supply route which used the San Juan River
San Juan River (Nicaragua)
The San Juan River , also known as El Desaguadero , is a 192.06 km river that flows east out of Lake Nicaragua into the Caribbean Sea. A large section of the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica runs on the right bank of the river...
and the steamboats taken by the filibusters from the Accessory Transit Company
Accessory Transit Company
The Accessory Transit Company was a company set up by Cornelius Vanderbilt and others during the California Gold Rush in the 1850s, to transport would-be prospectors from the east coast of the United States to the west coast....
.
There is no knowledge of the Third Campaign.
There is still discussion on the intellectual authorship of the capture of the Rio San Juan
Río San Juan
Río San Juan may refer to* Río San Juan , Nicaragua* Río San Juan, Dominican Republic* Río San Juan, north-eastern Venezuela* Río San Juan , Mexico...
. Some Costa Ricans, like historian Rafael Obregón Loria, claim it was Mora who planned the capture. However, Mora met on November 1856 with Silvanius Spencer, Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
's agent, who offered his help on the capture of the San Juan river.
In spite of earning acclaim as a national hero for his efforts in that endeavor, he was overthrown in a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
orchestrated by his opponent Jose Maria Montealegre in August 1859. He fled to El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, where his supporters convinced him to launch an attack on Costa Rica and recoup the presidency. After initial victories, in which he succeeded in seizing the port 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...
, he was defeated, captured, and, on 30 September 1860, brought before a firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
.
His nephew, whom he helped raise, was the writer Manuel Argüello Mora
Manuel Argüello Mora
Manuel Argüello Mora was born in San José, Costa Rica in 1834. He is one of the first Costa Rican authors, and with 1888's Misterio, was its first novelist. He obtained his education at the University of Santo Tomás in Costa Rica and the Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala, where he obtained a...
.