For years, Anna straightened her curly hair with chemicals. She stopped doing it in 2023, when she decided to recover the natural form of her hair and honor her native features. “I don’t consider myself Afro-mestizo, but I do consider myself mulatto,” she said, and related that after seeing photos of her grandparents when they were young, she reflected on a possible African heritage.
Anna was born in San José, but her parents are from the cantons of La Cruz and Nicoya. That’s why she didn’t hesitate to let her blood be drawn in Nicoya, where a group of researchers was collecting samples to provide contemporary answers about Afro-descendant genetics in Guanacaste.
“[I wanted to get to] know my roots better, as well as my health status,” she comments to The Voice.
The research analyzes blood samples to detect hemoglobin alterations that mainly cause hereditary anemia, explained Joy Robleto Quesada, researcher and coordinator of the project at the Hematology and Related Disorders Research Center (Spanish acronym: Cihata) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
“Hemoglobin is a fundamental protein in the blood. It transports oxygen. The alterations mainly cause anemia and are inherited by sons and daughters from their fathers and mothers. And although they can affect anyone in the world, it has been seen that there is a greater frequency in two populations: those of Asian origin and those of African descent,” explained Robleto.
The team of scientists is conducting the research at a national level, but their findings may provide findings separated by province.
To obtain data in Guanacaste, a Cihata team went to Nicoya in July during the celebrations commemorating the annexation to take advantage of the date and to get more people involved in the study. They placed a tent in the park, where they gave information to people. In addition, those who identified themselves as Afro-mestizo and agreed to participate in the study were interviewed and had blood tests done in partnership with the Ricardo Cerdas Laboratory.
In this way, Anna and 50 other people in Nicoya’s park participated in the research during the researchers’ visit.
Cihata researchers Joy Robleto and Julio Vilchez on their visit to Nicoya on July 23 and 24. Elizabeth Villarreal, on the right in the photo, fills out information before having blood samples taken.Photo: César Arroyo Castro
Cihata had detected the prevalence of hereditary anemias in Costa Rica’s Afro-descendant population in the 1980s, with research by its founder, Dr. German Sáenz.
At that time, the team found it profoundly noteworthy that Guanacaste’s population had a level of hemoglobin S (a variant of hemoglobin) very similar to that of Limón’s population.
It was 8.2% in the Afro-descendant population of the Caribbean and 7.5% in the Afro-descendant population of Guanacaste,” Robleto specified. “In Santa Cruz, Liberia and Nicoya, a much higher percentage was found compared to the rest of the country and compared to the white, mestizo population.”
The discovery provided scientific data on a historical and cultural reality that has not yet been discussed much: that Guanacaste is also a province with strong African roots. This can be seen in the features of its people, in the words that influence the province and in musical legacies such as the quijongo.
“It’s known that there is a link with the African heritage that at some point arrived in Guanacaste either as slaves, then with the migration of Antonio Maceo, who was Cuban, and also through some migrations of Jamaican people who came to work in the mines of Abangares,” Robleto explained.
Now Cihata is looking to update the research from the 80s and provide new findings.
“Techniques have changed and there are things that couldn’t be detected at that time, such as a group called alpha thalassemias [hematological disorder] and at that time, these couldn’t be detected because they require molecular biology techniques. Now we can diagnose them,” said the researcher.
Five teachers from the Santa Cruz School in 1900.Photo: National Archive of Costa Rica
Health with arguments
For both the researcher Robleto and Anna, the young mulatto woman who went through giving blood samples, the knowledge produced by UCR is an unparalleled contribution in Costa Rica.
“I’m a UCR graduate and supporting the research of this educational institution is important due to everything it offers to the country,” said Anna.
And for Cihata, generating new indicators on this genetic prevalence was necessary. “[At Cihata,] we’ve stopped generating information for a long time,” admitted Robleto. “So, how do we make health policy? How are we going to train our doctors, microbiologists, our nurses, if we don’t have updated data?” he pointed out.
And he added that it’s not that the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) isn’t providing diagnoses, but “many times, it stays in the registry and in the person’s file, but data isn’t generated at a national level that can be used, that reflects the problem, in which places it is more prevalent and from there, it can be used for public policies.”
For Robleto, the project also means a window to understand his own roots. He was born in Cartago, but his father’s family is from Liberia.
“I feel that through this research, personal issues are also developed, because for a long time, I used to say, ‘but why do we all look like this in my house?’” said Robleto, who has Afro-descendant features in his curly hair and skin tone.
The references I had of Afro people were from the Caribbean, and just as I was beginning to understand these diseases, I found literature that talked about some African migration to Guanacaste, and that’s how I realized the whole story,” he related.
The research will continue until next year and the team hopes to make more trips to the province ― and the rest of the country ― to continue collecting samples. People interested in participating in the research can pay attention to Cihata’s social networks or also visit the laboratory facilities, on the Rodrigo Facio campus in San Pedro de Montes de Oca, in San José.
For more information, you can contact the center by phone at 2511-5544.
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