Juan Mora Fernández (July 12, 1784, San José, Costa Rica – November 16, 1854) was Costa Rica's first elected head of state. He was considered a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and decided to move the capital from Cartago to

Puntarenas Puntarenas () is a city in the Puntarenas canton of Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Puntarenas canton, it is awarded the title of city, which is made from the Puntarenas, Chacarita and ...

. Juan Mora was elected as the first head of state in 1825. He is remembered for instituting

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

, and he followed a progressive course. As a consequence of his land reform structure, he inadvertently created an elite class of powerful

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

barons. The barons eventually overthrew one of his later successors, José María Alfaro Zamora. From 1850 to 1854 he was Magistrate and President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica, he died shortly after he resigned.

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* 1784 births 1854 deaths People from San José, Costa Rica Costa Rican people of Spanish descent Presidents of Costa Rica Vice presidents of Costa Rica 19th-century Costa Rican people 18th-century Costa Rican people Supreme Court of Justice of Costa Rica judges Costa Rican liberals {{CostaRica-politician-stub