First known as Villa Bruselas in colonial times, Puntarenas was discovered
by Hernán Ponce de León in 1519. Despite the use of the Gulf of Nicoya as an
entryway to Costa Rica's inland territory, the port of Puntarenas was not
developed until 1840 when coffee production in the highlands reached exportable
volumes. In 1845 the Congress of the Republic declared Puntarenas a duty-free
port (with the exception of Cognac and hard liquor). Originally, the coffee was
brought to port in oxcarts via a trail through the mountains. In 1879, a
stretch of railroad track was completed which connected Puntarenas with the
town of
