PANAM Post – Costa Rica is well marketed — and thus internationally well known — for its stunning natural beauty. What isn’t so well marketed is the ugly undertone of xenophobia that exists in the small but opinionated Central American nation.
While discrimination is normally associated with two non-like parties, Nicaraguans in Costa Rica fall victim to the ever-expanding and concerning trend of intra-cultural intolerance.
Ticos still boast that they are ahead of other Central American countries in areas such as education, social security, and health care. However, the formidable issue the nation has had to address is the loss of their advantage, due to declining Costa Rican performance in those areas and other nations catching up.
With decline comes blame, and lots of it.