Jamaica Town: Where Afro-Caribbean Costa Rican History Lives

When people think of Costa Rica, they usually picture rainforests, beaches, and Pura Vida. But if you really want to understand this country, especially Limón, you have to understand Jamaica Town. It isn’t just a neighborhood. It’s a living archive of Afro-Caribbean history, resilience, culture, and pride. This is where Limón’s soul lives.

In the late 1800s, Costa Rica was building a railroad to connect the Caribbean coast to the Central Valley. The project needed hard, dangerous labor and Costa Rica turned to Jamaica. Thousands of Jamaican men (and later families) were recruited to build the railroad under brutal conditions: tropical disease, unsafe work, low pay, and discrimination. Many never returned home. Those who stayed laid the foundation for what would become Limón.

After the railroad, many Jamaicans worked on banana plantations owned by foreign companies like United Fruit. Despite contributing massively to Costa Rica’s economy, Black Jamaicans were restricted by law from leaving the Caribbean coast for decades. Limón became both a place of confinement and community. Out of those conditions, Jamaica Town was born.

A Community Built on Culture and Survival

Jamaica Town quickly became a self-sustaining Afro-Caribbean world. People built homes, churches, schools, social clubs, and businesses. English/Limonese Kryol was spoken freely. Caribbean food filled the air. Music, storytelling, and faith held people together.

This was a place where Black identity wasn’t something to hide, it was the norm.

Churches played a major role, especially Protestant and Anglican congregations, offering education and leadership when the state excluded Black residents. Education was valued deeply, and many families ensured their children could read, write, and speak English fluently.

Racism, Resistance, and Recognition

For many years, Afro-Caribbean people in Limón were denied full citizenship rights. It wasn’t until 1949 that Black Costa Ricans were officially granted citizenship and freedom of movement.

Jamaica Town endured racism, neglect, and erasure but it never disappeared.

Instead, it resisted quietly and loudly at the same time. Through culture. Through family. Through refusing to assimilate out of existence. Today, Jamaica Town stands as proof that Afro-Caribbean people didn’t just arrive in Costa Rica, they helped build it.

In the 1940s, the community’s name was officially changed to Barrio Roosevelt. Why? The name honored U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt because the United States government funded a sewer system project that helped solve severe flooding problems in the neighborhood. For decades afterward, many residents continued to use the original name, Jamaica Town and civic leaders pushed to restore it. Eventually, after years of local campaigning, the official name was changed back to Jamaica Town, reinstating the community’s historical identity.

Jamaica Town is still here, though like many historic Black communities around the world, it faces gentrification and cultural dilution. What was once ignored is now being “rediscovered.” That’s why telling the real story matters. This neighborhood isn’t just colorful houses or a vibe for Instagram. It’s sacred ground, generational labor, creativity, and resistance. When you walk through Jamaica Town, you’re walking through history.

Understanding Jamaica Town helps you understand Limón. And understanding Limón helps you understand Costa Rica beyond the postcard version. Afro-Caribbean culture is not a side note here it’s foundational.

At Pura Vibra Travel, honoring places like Jamaica Town is intentional. Because travel should educate, not erase. It should support local communities, not just consume them.

If you visit Limón, don’t just pass through. Listen. Learn. Respect.

Jamaica Town is still speaking.

Sean