La Guerra Nacional y La Peste que originaron una devoción

Abstract

This paper addresses the sworn promise to the "Dulce Nombre del Niño Jesús" initiated circa 1856 as a response to the colera morbus pest that started in Costa Rica after the Battle of Rivas, Nicaragua on April, 11 1856. Costa Rica was at war with the filibuster army organized by U.S. William Walker. Walker was in power in Nicaragua and menaced to invade Costa Rica. In this context the pest was introduced by Costa Rican soldiers into the country. Because of the horrors of the pest and the lack of scientific knowledge to control it, the sworn promise to the "Dulce Nombre del Niño Jesús" started, a ritual reproduced in a yearly basis since at the church of El Carmen, San José.