Rodrigo Martin died last April 17th 2010; was born in San José the 28 of August 1926 in a well known family directly descending from ancient historical Spanish conquistadors like the cousin of Pedro Arias Davila known as Pedrarias; Isabel Arias Davila, both also grandchildren of Diego Arias Davila, a converted Jew in 1411 which name was Isaac Abenazar El Volador, who was also right hand person of King Henry IV.

Isabel got married to Juan Vázquez de Coronado y Anaya, First Adelantado of Costa Rica by appointment of its Majesty Felipe II in 1565; a descendent of this marriage got married to a descendent of Pedro de Alvarado, another well known conquistador who was companion of Hernan Cortez in Mexico, following this genealogical branch several generations later, we find Manuel Alvarado y Alvarado getting married to Rosalía Barroeta y Baca, one of their daughters; Barbara Alvarado Barroeta, got married to Cirilo Martín Román, an Spanish gentleman who arrived to Costa Rica before 1856, their son Eduardo Martín Alvarado, got married to Carmen Montenegro Montenegro, their son Cirilo Martín Montenegro who got married to Cristina Valverde Carranza, was Rodrigo’s father, and at the same time, my grandfather who died before I was born.

Rodrigo arrived to Port Limon during early 1950’s. He first started in business with the exportation of products like cocoa, latex, lobster and turtle, later he started the first supermarket in Port Limon during early sixties which was named MARES, this later was closed and established Hotel Matama during early seventies, this also was closed after more than 30 years of successful activity.

Brilliant, powerful and endless worker, his personality lead him always on both directions; from success during first stages of the enterprise due to imaginative and tasteful development of the idea, to extinction of the business due to misunderstanding of both internal and external enterprise environments’ and therefore mismanagement.

Regardless the virtues or defects the Rodrigo may have shown in life, truth is that he wrote a small part of history of Port Limon and only because of this, its image should never be forgotten for the sake of Port Limon’s cultural identity and heritage.

As a successful entrepreneur, Rodrigo always reinvested all of its capital in Port Limon, quite different form other well known businessmen that just made tons of money here and toke it away.

When young, he was part of the revolution in Costa Rica in 1948 as part of the Ejército Revolucionario de Liberación Nacional, political group that later became a political party that abolished army in Costa Rica in 1949.

He was also a promoter during later sixties of the construction of the road from San José to Port Limon, and for the establishment of JAPDEVA, a local institution of the goverment dedicated to manage the harbors of Limon and Moin, and to the developement of the Caribean province of Limon.