THE FIRST NOSAREÑOS

The first Creole and mestizo families who gave rise to the community of Nosara, as we know it today, arrived between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Around 1900, families—mainly from Nicoya and Santa Cruz—settled near the mouth of the Nosara River, establishing the area’s first hamlets.

Some families stayed only for a few months or years, while others “put down roots” and remained permanently, dedicating themselves to farming and food production. Their main motivation was clear: to take advantage of the fact that the Nosara River did not dry up during the dry season, ensuring year-round harvests.

This early chapter is preserved thanks to the testimony of María Celia Avilés Barrantes, who moved to Nosara on January 6, 1913, just three weeks after being born in Arado, Santa Cruz, on December 15, 1912.Upon their arrival, the Avilés Barrantes family found the following families already established in the area:

• Alberto Ruiz Acevedo

• Cruz López Fajardo

• Valentín López Chaves

• José Arrieta

Traveling with Celia were her parents, Anastasio Avilés and Magdalena Barrantes, along with her siblings: Blas, José Inocente, Ramona, María Josefa Patrocinia, and Rita Sergia Avilés Matarrita.

Over time, other notable individuals joined the community, shaping its history and future. They worked tirelessly to open roads, secure services, and improve local conditions, laying the foundations of Nosara’s cultural identity. Today, their descendants are recognized as the town’s original or “local” families.

The first official birth records in Nosara (1916–1939) document the presence and growth of these pioneering families.

Birth Records in Nosara (1916–1939)

Name	Birth Date	Parents
José Agustín López Castillo	28/08/1939	Pedro Pablo López Obando, Cristobalina Castillo Briceño
Juan Francisco Castillo Castillo	15/05/1935	Adela Castillo
Jose Antonio	17/01/1921	Cruz Castrillo
María Teodora Juliana Castillo Castillo	07/01/1925	Juliana Castillo, Zacarías Castillo Pérez
Feófilo Eladio López Castrillo	08/01/1925	Paulina Castrillo
Maria Francisca Juarez Castrillo	09/03/1929	Eudocia Castrillo Pérez, Isidro Juárez
María Inocente Teodora Matarrita García	28/12/1937	Noé Matarrita Barrantes, María García López

María Justa Aurora García López	15/07/1937	Isaías García López, Elisa López Obando
Maria Ginia Lopez Campos	11/01/1934	Encarnación López Obando, María Inocente Campos Duartes
Jose Euglinio Lopez Fajardo	13/12/1934	Serapio López Fajardo, Apolonia Fajardo
Jose Catalino Lopez Fajardo	25/11/1937	Feliciana Lopez Fajardo
Bernardino Baudilio López Fajardo	20/05/1929	Serapio López Fajardo, Apolonia Fajardo
María Rita Cornelia Rosales Villareal	22/05/1936	Manuel Rosales, Patrocinia Villareal
Luciana Fortunata Alemán	15/12/1929	Maria Isaac Alemán Villagra
Jose Andres Giron Giron	17/10/1935	Clara Giron
Sebera Rustica Jiron López	08/08/1929	Francisco Jirón Diaz, Eduvina López Barrantes
María Simona Duarte Jirón	18/02/1927	Andrea Jirón Diaz, Feliciano Duarte
Jose Natividad Lopez Campos	25/12/1937	María Inocente Campos Duarte, Encarnación López Obando
Pilar Abigail Lopez Avilés	12/10/1936	Pedro López Obando, Celia Avilés Matarrita
José Fermín	15/08/1936	María Umbelina
Olger Francisco López Avilés	21/08/1938	Pedro López Obando, Celia Avilés Matarrita
Evaristo Marciano Gutiérrez Avilés	15/12/1933	Amparo Gutiérrez Campos, Sergia Avilés Matarrita

María Eugenia Mendoza Avilés	13/11/1932	Trinidad Mendoza Fajardo, Ramona Avilés Barrantes
Antonio Silvano Mendoza Avilés	04/05/1929	Ramona Avilés Matarrita, Trinidad Mendoza Fajardo
Francisco Mascimiliano Pérez	27/04/1927	Obdulia Pérez Mayorga
María Cristobalina del Socorro Pérez	30/07/1925	Josefa Pérez
Maria Adelina Noguera Ruiz	22/10/1938	Emilio Noguera Castillo, Juana Ruiz Matarrita
Miguel Ángel Norberto Gutiérrez Campos	06/06/1933	Maria Eugenia Gutierrez Campos
Jose Miguel Juárez Ruiz	08/05/1936	Evangelina Ruiz Matarrita, Demetrio Juárez
María Olga Juarez Ruiz	25/07/1939	Demetrio Juárez Juárez, Evangelina Ruiz Matarrita
María Victoria Ruiz Matarrita	13/04/1939	Sara Ruiz Matarrita
Maria Primitiva Ruiz Matarrita	24/02/1934	Natalia Ruiz Matarrita
Jose Omar Briones Lopez	25/11/1936	Juana Briones Lopez
Elena Aurora Matarrita Cabalceta	13/08/1939	Esmeralda Matarrita Cabalceta
José Juan Francisco Lopez Campos	17/12/1935	María Inocente Campos Duarte, Encarnación López Obando
Miguel Angel Ruiz Matarrita	27/07/1932	Sara Ruiz Matarrita
Jose Arcenio Ruiz Matarrita	14/12/1938	Natalia Ruiz Matarrita
Mari Arcadia Ruiz Matarrita	12/01/1935	Natalia Ruiz Matarrita
Blanca Rosa Ruiz García	16/09/1938	Juana García López, Ramón Ruiz Matarrita

Juan Jose Enrique Ruiz García	09/08/1935	Ramón Ruiz Matarrita, Juana García López
Claudia Maria Lopez	30/11/1924	Josefa Lopez Matarrita
Julio Patrocinio Molina Molina	20/12/1938	Juana Molina Molina
Maria Dominga Molina Molina	20/12/1937	Juana Molina Molina
Roberto Inocencio Diaz	27/04/1929	Francisca Diaz
Otilio Antonio Reyes Umaña	13/12/1938	Graciela Umaña Rodríguez, José Ildefonso Reyes Reyes
Luisa Angelina de Jesús Mendoza	25/08/1923	Manuela Mendoza Fajardo
Paulina Candida Peña Solano	06/06/1938	Maria Teofila Peña Solano
Plutarco Castrillo Valencia	28/06/1916	Teresa Valencia Montiel, Zacarías Constantino Castrillo

Secretaría de Gobernación - Archivo Nacional Ríos Castillo, A., & Verwest, J. (2003, mayo). Una entrevista con Doña Celia Avilés Barrantes. La Voz de Nosara, 1–2.