With its lush soil and abundance in vacationing opportunities, Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica was a place of settlement long before it became a place for people from all over the World seeking tropical escapades, adventures, wildlife, and beach recreation.
The Quepoa was the indigenous tribe, whose settlement dates back to 950-900 years ago, and they are perhaps the most noticeable of the area’s historical settlements. For this reason, the news say that they are renaming Manuel Antonio’s canton (county) of Aguirre to Quepos.
Camino Travel, which sends hundreds of passengers to the very region the Quepoa people inhabited, is very happy with the vote, finding it to be a perfect way to honor the Quepoa and the area’s cultural past.
Much of the Manuel Antonio and Quepos area still flourish in agriculture, and most notably fishing, as the Quepoa did. The port of Quepos, just 7 Kilometers from the National Park is one of Costa Rica’s most valued ports for both sport fishing as well as commercial fishing.
The Quepoa people’s biggest city ranged from the present day Manuel Antonio National Park to what is now the well-known Mariposa Hotel, to the mouth of the Savegre River, considered a center for white-water rafting fans. In fact, at low tide on Tulemar’s resort private beach, if one is to look closely they will be able to see the remnants of Quepoa turtle traps. These traps, made from carefully placed rocks, were used by the Quepoa people as a means to hunt.
For us, at Camino Travel, the idea of honoring the past of one of our most popular destinations in an important step to link with conservation and sustainability of the area.
And that is just what officials hope the ratification of this cantonal name change from Aguirre to Quepos will do: Remind the locals and those who visit of the people who enjoyed and had respect for the land of Manuel Antonio so long ago. All Costa Ricans, are proud in the Aguirre Canton’s name change to Quepos as it reminds us of the people that kept this gorgeous area as pristine as we found it and calls us to do the same for the future generations.
