INTRODUCTION — Historical Documents Section

The history of the San Juan River—and its influence on the identity, sovereignty, and geopolitics of Costa Rica—cannot be understood without directly consulting the documents that shaped its destiny. From binational treaties to arbitral awards, passing through constitutions, official maps, military diaries, and government records, this collection reveals how the legal and political memory surrounding the most disputed river border in Central America was constructed (and in many cases, how it was distorted).

This section brings together primary sources and essential documents, accompanied by contextual notes that facilitate their reading. Its purpose is twofold:

1. To offer researchers, students, and readers a reliable consultation space, and
2. to highlight historical omissions—among them the systematic absence of references to the Transit Campaign and Major Máximo Blanco Rodríguez in subsequent legal processes, from the 19th century to the litigation in The Hague in the 21st century.

This living archive will grow with new incorporations, transcriptions, maps, and analyses as the trilogy Las Aguas del Olvido progresses. Included here is what is essential to understand how the San Juan was negotiated, how its sovereignty was interpreted, and how national memory was shaped by silences, conveniences, and far-reaching geopolitical decisions.

---

RECOMMENDED LIST OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS

(Organized by categories + space for expansion)

---

I. Bilateral Treaties and Agreements (19th–21st Centuries)

Documents that defined the border, navigation, and legal status of the San Juan River.

1. Cañas–Jerez Treaty (1858)
   – Fundamental legal basis for the limits between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
   – Defines navigation, sovereignty, and Costa Rican access.
2. Arbitral Award of President Cleveland (1888)
   – Arbitration by U.S. President Grover Cleveland that interprets ambiguous points of the Cañas–Jerez Treaty.
   – Profound impact on the concept of “navigation for commercial purposes”.
3. Alexander Agreement (1897)
   – Complementary regulation derived from the Cleveland Award.
4. Treaty on Aquatic and Insular Boundaries (1914)
   – Related to the Caribbean debouchement.
5. Judgment of the International Court of Justice – Isla Portillos / Isla Calero case (2015)
   – Contemporary resolution on territorial and environmental rights.
6. The Hague Judgment – Costa Rican Navigation in the San Juan River (2009)
   – International determination of the right of free navigation with restrictions.

---

II. Constitutions and National Legal Framework

1. Political Constitution of Costa Rica of 1859
   – Contains the legal framework in force durante the post-filibuster war and the period immediately following the historical silence.
2. Political Constitution of Costa Rica of 1871
   – Reorganizes the vision of the State and the role of the army in national memory.
3. Constitutional reforms related to sovereignty, navigation, and limits
   
   

---

III. Official Maps and Historical Cartography

1. Official map of the San Juan River – British Admiralty (1856–1858)
2. Costa Rican cartography of the 19th century
3. Military sketches of La Trinidad, Castillo Viejo, and Sarapiquí
4. Diplomatic boundary maps (1858–1888)
5. Cartography of the litigation in The Hague (2009–2015)

---

IV. Military Archives and Campaign Diaries

1. Diary of Major Máximo Blanco Rodríguez (1856–1857)
2. Diary of Presbyter Rafael Brenes
3. Diary of the Anonymous Army Officer (National Archive)
4. Memoirs of the Ministry of War (1857)
   – Includes reports on the capture of steamboats and river operations.
5. Military reports of the Transit Campaign
6. Correspondence of Spencer, Barillier, and other officers

---

V. Government Records and Political Documents

1. Minutes of the Government Council (August 1860)
   – “It is agreed to offer citizen Mora a life annuity if he lays down his arms.”
2. Minutes of Congress on recognition of veterans from 1856–57
3. Decrees related to the Transit Route and Vanderbilt
4. Diplomatic correspondence between Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the United States (1856–1890)

---

VI. Relevant International Sources

1. Documents of the Transit Company of Cornelius Vanderbilt
2. U.S. government archives on William Walker
3. Chronicles from the New York Herald and other foreign newspapers
4. Records of the Arbitration Tribunal (Cleveland Arbitration)
5. Resolutions of the International Court of Justice (2009–2015)

---

VII. Spaces for Future Incorporations

Documents contributed by readers and researchers

Annotated transcriptions

Comparative analyses

Facsimiles and engravings

Critical bibliography

Material for Aguas Silenciadas and La Frontera del Agua