Costa Rica, lacking an army since 1948, doesn’t have many war heroes. The most notable exception is Juan Santamaría, a poor drummer boy from Alajuela. Santamaría helped thwart a notorious U.S.

This Friday’s celebration Juan Santamaría Day in Alajuela stood in sharp contrast to the violent protests that interrupted the event last year over the troubled San Ramón highway concession. In fact, ...