Native Amrican Prisoners

July 4th – The Last Great Resistance of the Talamancas

Countless tourists visit the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica every year. They marvel at the beauty of national parks such as Tortuguero and Cahuita, but how much do they really know about the history of this verdant land? How often do tourists and Ticos alike walk the streets of Limon where Christopher Columbus made landfall more than 500 years ago with no thought of the past that has shaped the present?

In front of the offices of the Municipality of Limon stands a statue of the last great cacique who resisted the conquest of this land to the bitter end. His name was Pablo Presbere and here is his story and the story of the brave and indomitable natives of Talamanca.

2009 marked the three hundredth anniversary of the last great indigenous war of resistance in Costa Rica. Three hundred years ago, the inhabitants of Talamanca, the mountain range that separates Costa Rica and Panama, fought their last furious battle for freedom. Faced with the threat of slavery from both Hispanic colonists and English raiders; helpless to prevent and horrified to watch their children die of measles, smallpox, and other Old World diseases; driven into the mountains from their richest fishing and farming grounds; these desperate men and women struck one last blow for their autonomy and independence. The roots of the conflict go back centuries to Spanish assaults along the Telire River to carry back to Cartago Indian slaves and the food stores that they had grown.

The Telire River formed a frontier south of which the Spanish invaders could never establish control. Nonetheless, the native Talamancas lived under the constant threat of death and depredation. At river fords and across hammock bridges, these Amerindians repeatedly resisted invasions from Cartago, and died in defense of their families and fields. Native Americans also crossed the line into the Spanish territory in search of trade and labor opportunities. Only through work in the cacao groves of the Matina Valley or barter with the Indians who lived under colonial control, could the Talamancas obtain highly-prized iron and steel trade goods, such as, axes, machetes, knives, scissors, tweezers, needles, cooking utensils, fish hooks, and arrowheads for pita thread and cotton cloth. A state of fear and hostility reigned for centuries.

The Public Record | inweekly

-Lauren H.

Yes, it is true. In the late 1800s Pensacola’s most notable tourist attraction was not a beautiful beach—it was a prisoner of war.

Born in 1829, Geronimo served as a medicine man in the Chiricahua Apache tribe. He was living in New Mexico (then still a part of Mexico) when a group of Mexican soldiers raided the reservation. His mother, first wife and three children were killed. As a result, Geronimo led a band of murderous braves who set out for revenge. The group attacked various towns in Mexico, and later American settlements across Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas.

It took 5,000 American troops over two years to chase down Geronimo and his band of 45 braves. On Sept. 3, 1886, the group officially surrendered to Gen. Nelson A. Miles at Skeleton Canyon in the Arizona territory. As part of the surrender, Miles promised Geronimo and his men that they would be forgiven their crimes after a brief imprisonment.

The Apache men and their families were rounded up and sent by rail to Florida. The army’s protocol was for Native American prisoners to serve their terms at Ft. Marion in St. Augustine, but some influential Pensacolians had a better idea.

With the help of the local newspaper, several businessmen started a petition requesting that Geronimo serve his sentence at Ft. Pickens as a means to boost tourism. Permission was granted, and on Oct. 25, 1886, a four-car train rolled into Pensacola with the infamous cargo. Even though the train arrived at 2 a.m., thousands of locals gathered to catch a glimpse of what had become the talk of the town. Geronimo, Chief Natchez (son of the famous Cochise) and 13 of their men disembarked while their families were taken on to Ft. Marion. The men boarded a Navy steamer and were taken to Santa Rosa Island.

Ft. Pickens had been without a garrison for a long time, and the fort was not in the best of conditions. The prisoners worked about seven hours a day clearing overgrowth and gathering firewood. The men cooked their own meals from provided rations including pork, beef, flour, beans, coffee, sugar and salt.

In the early part of February 1887, officials began allowing visitors to the encampment. Each tourist was required to apply for a pass to view the Apaches. Many people visited the isolated attraction, as many as 450 in one day. Geronimo soon learned how to turn a profit from his notoriety. He sold his signature and buttons from his coat to the visitors. At night, he would sew new buttons on his jacket for the next boat of onlookers.

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