Today, we took the train into the center of San José. Before it was a city, San José had many coffee farms, but as farmers shifted to more ideal climates, the rural area shifted to urbanization. The railroad through Costa Rica is a direct result of the coffee trade. For quicker export to Europe, it would be ideal to send coffee grown on the Pacific side of the country from ports on the Caribbean side. A railway was the solution decided upon and ananas grown near these railways soon became another crucial export. Today we saw references to the cities agricultural past in murals in the Teatro National.

Pittsburgh and San José share the beneficiary of Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie was an industrialist who played a large role in the growth of the American steel industry. With his wealth, he also became a philanthropist, founding a university in Pittsburgh and donating to the construction of the Casa Amarilla. The Casa Amarilla was the world’s first international court, and it played an important role in designing the ideals of peace.

While San José is definitely a city, it is not what most would consider to be modern. Addresses are very uncommon, and instead, landmarks are used to indicate location. This is due to the country’s agricultural history, however, makes it impossible for there to be an effective mailing system without P.O. boxes, which I also have not noticed to be present. For this reason, Amazon and other delivery services are far less popular. Instead, markets are fairly common and necessities can be found easily. I believe that this system may present challenges , if trends do not change. In many countries, physical stores are becoming out dated in favor of online shopping. It is more convenient and allows for further globalization. If shipping is difficult here, it is possible that Costa Rica will be left out.