1967 Ruiz / Oficina del Cafe Pictorial View of Costa Rica, Coffee Production

A whimsical 1968 German-language pictorial view of Costa Rica, drawn by an artist named Ruiz and printed by the Casa Grafica for Costa Rica's Oficina del Café, a government body with representatives in Europe. It was designed to promote Costa Rican coffee to German investors and coffee sellers.

A Closer Look

Covering all of Costa Rica and highlighting the country's rich coffee-growing regions in green, this vibrant pictorial view includes information on local products, characteristics, and history in different parts of the country. Mountains and volcanoes are illustrated with the elevations of the tallest ones noted, which are also compared under the title in the cartouche at bottom-left. Depictions of beaches, rail lines, roads (the Pan-American Highway or Inter-American Highway), hunting and fishing, beachgoers, animals, a hydroelectric dam, and local natural products abound. A globe at top-right displays transatlantic shipping routes and the flag of Costa Rica. An inset of Cocos Island at bottom is dominated by a pirate, harkening to the Pacific island's fame as the supposed site of various buried pirate treasures.

Costa Rican Coffee

Coffee was introduced to Costa Rica in the late 1700s. The country's coffee-growing regions benefit from volcanic soil, high altitude, and tropical climate, providing ideal conditions for cultivation. By the early 19th century, it was the dominant agricultural export, primarily due to the government's supportive measures, including tax incentives and the distribution of free coffee seeds to farmers. By the mid-19th century, Costa Rica was a major coffee producer, with the 'golden bean' becoming a crucial driver of economic development. Throughout the 20th century, the coffee industry continued to flourish, contributing to the funding of public works and shaping Costa Rica's socio-economic landscape. This period was characterized by the expansion of coffee plantations, improvements in cultivation techniques, and the establishment of cooperatives, which helped stabilize prices and distribute profits among local farmers.

Publication History and Census

This view is signed and dated by the artist 'Ruiz' (common in Costa Rica). It was printed by Casa Grafica and published by the Oficina del Café. We are unaware of any other examples of this view in institutional collections or having appeared on the market.