Nicoya Gulf

The Gulf of Nicoya reaches deep into the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, between the Nicoya Peninsula and the mainland. Its sheltered waters contain many islands and were home to communities on both shores. In 1519 Juan de Castañeda and Hernán Ponce de León encountered the gulf by sea; a decade later Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo described its islands and settlements and drew a map of the region.