Juan Mora Fernández

Juan Mora Fernández

Juan Mora Fernández (1784, San José, Costa Rica – 1854) was Costa Rica's first elected head of state. He was considered a liberal and decided to move the capital from Cartago to Puntarenas. Juan Mora was elected as the first head of state in 1825. He is remembered for instituting land reform, and he followed a progressive course. As a consequence of his land reform structure, he inadvertently created an elite class of powerful coffee barons. The barons eventually overthrew one of his later successors, José María.