About Rey Curré

The indigenous territory of Rey Curré is found on both sides of the Río Grande de Térraba, some 230 KM from San José in the canton of Buenos Aires, Costa Rica. It has a surface area of around 10,000 hectares. The indigenous population - approximately 1000 people - pertain to the Boruca (otherwise known as Brunka) ethnic group. They live from agriculture, cultivating plantain, rice, beans, corn and fruits. The Borucas are also famous for their art, above all masks and textile products which they sell to tourists in order to generate a small income.

 

The History

 

The territory has a long history of occupation. There are important archæological deposits from the pre-Colombian era.
Around 1500 BC, the banks of the Río Grande de Térraba were occupied by humans for the first time. For many centuries, Curré was a small village of corn producers. Around 700 AD the village dominated a certain territory and maintained relations with other villages located along the length of the river.
At the beginning of the XX century, several indigenous families migrated to the Valley of the Río Grande de Térraba and founded the present town. The construction of the InterAmerican Highway radically changed the life there, a large number of non-indigenous peasant farmers and landowners occupied the area and now they have in their hands approximately 80 % of the land.

Currently, the population is living in a state of total insecurity: the detonation of explosives has interrupted their tranquility and the waters of the river are observed by officials from the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE), using sophisticated technology to analyze, value and measure the site.