Costa Rica

1502: Discovered by Columbus. 1540: Part of the Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain. Administered as part of the captaincy general of Guatemala. September 15, 1821: Declaration of independence from Spain. Becomes part of the Mexican Empire. July 1, 1823: Secession from the Mexican Empire. Becomes part of the Central American Federation (CAF), along with El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. 1838: Secession from the CAF. Independent since that time. December 13, 1948: A new constitution proclaimed prohibiting the creation of an army.