When the Columbus arrived in Costa Rica in 1501, he found a place wedged between two cultures. The Incas controlled Andean South America, while Mesoamerican cultures, including the Aztecs, dominated areas to the north. When the Spanish took over, they called the area Costa Rica, which means Rich Coast. In 1821, Costa Rica joined in the general movement for independence in the area, and became one of the United Provinces of Central America, along with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In 1824 they moved the capital to San Jose. In 1840, The United Provinces dissolved due to border disputes. In 1856, Costa Rica was invaded by William Walker, an American with a private army who wanted to create a new American state. Walker was unhappy with the anti-slavery movement in the US at the time. He’d already taken Nicaragua and reintroduced slavery there. The Costa Rican army ran him out of Costa Rica and Nicaragua turning him over to the British Navy, who handed him over to the Honduran government, where he was executed. In 1889, Costa Rica became a democracy. This lasted until 1917, when the elected President seized control of the country in a coup that lasted only a short period of time. Free elections were returned to the people in 1918. Costa Rica abolished their army after a short civil war in 1948 and recently, they have made a significant investment in eco-tourism, which drives their economy.