ALAJUELA

city, northwestern Costa Rica. It lies on the central plateau at an altitude of 3,141 feet (957 m). Known in colonial days as La Lajuela and Villahermosa, the town was active in support of independence from Spain in 1821; five years later it suffered from a plot to restore Spanish control over Costa Rica. For a brief period in the 1830s Alajuela served as the nation's capital. It was the home of Juan Santamara, a Costa Rican soldier and hero of the defense against the invasion by the U.S. filibuster (military adventurer) William Walker in 1856. Alajuela was the starting point and centre of much of the construction activity of Costa Rica's coast-to-coast railroad begun in the 1870s. It is now a summer resort, famous for its flowers and markets. The city is on the Pan-American Highway, just northwest of San Jos, the national capital. Pop. (1993 est.) 47,141.