Archival Overview
Visionary statesman and jurist whose historic 1886 General Common Education Act established free, compulsory, and secular schooling across Costa Rica, making schools the cornerstone of the republic.
Biographical Record
Mauro Fernández Acuña was born in San José on December 19, 1843. Educated in jurisprudence at the University of Santo Tomás, Fernández entered public service committed to the enlightenment idea that national democracy relies entirely upon universal literacy.
As Minister of Public Education and Finance in 1885 under President Bernardo Soto, Fernández enacted the fundamental Education Reform of 1886. He established free, secular, and mandatory primary schooling, founded the historic Liceo de Costa Rica for boys and the Colegio Superior de Señoritas for girls, and brought international pedagogy to Central America, leaving a legacy that dismantled illiteracy.
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialSan José, Costa Rica