This chapter analyzes the changes of consumption in Costa Rica at the beginning of the coffee boom. Using the commercial advertising published in the newspaper at the time, it examines the foods, drinks, medicines, clothes and furniture imported from Europe as well as the changes in the marketing infrastructure in the period. Class and gender divisions shaped the demand for these products. Moreover, the concentration of goods in urban houses and public spaces increased the separation of city and countryside.

Author's e-mail: deliyore@sol.racsa.co.cr