Faces of Costa Rica

The Costa Rican Constitution names Roman Catholicism as the state religion. Students take religion classes in public schools. Catholic holidays are state holidays. Communions, confirmations and Catholic marriages are considered a way of life by much of the population.

Ticos, as Costa Ricans call themselves, can thank Christopher Columbus, who "discovered" Costa Rica in 1502, for the Catholic religion. He claimed the area in the name of the Catholic Royals, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain. Today, approximately 76 percent of the country's population is Roman Catholic (though only about 40 percent practice). Whether or not they practice, the cultural aspects of the religion are embedded in the Tico culture and are part of daily life.