Carranza, Bruno

Carranza was the son of Miguel Carranza Fernandez (deputy chief of staff from 1838 to 1841) and Joaquina Ramirez Garcia. He was a member of the Costa Rican Masonic Lodge.

In February 1840, Carranza went to Guatemala, accompanied by his brother Ramon and Jose Antonio Pinto, to continue his studies at the university. He graduated from the University of San Carlos with a bachelor of medicine degree on August 19, 1843 .

Returning to Costa Rica, Carranza took up medical practice as a private doctor, as well as in the hospital of San Juan de Dios, and on December 29, 1846 he married Jerome Montealegre Fernandez, sister of the future president of Costa Rica, Jose Maria Montealegre .

Carranza served as chief vaccine inspector. In 1856, he went to Nicaragua as a military doctor during the war against William Walker , but was almost forced to return due to the withdrawal of the Costa Rican army and the cholera epidemic in the troops.

In addition to working as a doctor, Carranza excelled in journalism by releasing several newspapers. He also participated in various business and commercial projects, owned coffee plantations, a bookstore and a pharmacy.

During the reign of Juan Rafael Maura Carranza was a deputy several times. He was responsible for the diplomatic mission to El Salvador in 1857 , represented San Jose in the Constituent Assembly of 1869, although he resigned shortly after the election. Several times he was persecuted for political reasons by opponents.

The military coup on April 27, 1870 brought Carranza to power with the title of "Provisional Ruler of the Republic." During his administration, measures were taken in favor of religious freedom and a law on guarantees was passed, which for the first time in the history of Costa Rica prohibited the death penalty. Rules governing state institutions were issued, and constituent assembly elections were held.

The main figure in the Carranza cabinet, the holder of the portfolios of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture, was the Guatemalan lawyer Lorenzo Montufar Rivera, known for his anti-clericalism .

Due to disagreements with Army Commander Thomas Guardia Gutierrez Carranza, on August 8, 1870, he resigned, which was approved by Congress the next day. Guardia himself became his successor.

Later, Carranza was a member of the Grand National Council and plenipotentiary ambassador of Costa Rica in El Salvador, with whom he signed the Carranza-Arbiza Treaty.

Carranza died in his hometown on January 25, 1891 .

• Martínez Esquivel, Ricardo. Masones y su participación política en Costa Rica (1865–1899)