The World’s Columbian Exposition, held from May to October 1893 in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side, celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas in 1492. Beyond commemorating Columbus, the fair showcased American progress, industry, and culture, drawing participation from over 40 countries, many of which constructed their own buildings to represent their national identity and achievements.
Several Latin American nations, including Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Venezuela, built dedicated pavilions. In contrast, others contributed through exhibitions in shared buildings and outdoor displays, including Argentina (then the Argentine Republic), Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru. For instance, Mexico presented replicas of the Temple of Huitzilopochtli in Tenochtitlán (modern-day Mexico City) outside the Ethnological Building, and contributed cacti, palms and other plant specimens to the Horticultural Building.
Brazil Building
Brazil contributed $50,000 to construct its pavilion, designed by Brazilian architect Francisco Marcelino de Sousa Aguiar. The structure blended Neo-Manueline and French Renaissance styles, featuring a prominent 43-foot central dome surrounded by four smaller ones overlooking the Wooded Island Lagoon. Its exterior was adorned with twenty medallions, each representing one of Brazil’s twenty states, while stained-glass windows illuminated the second floor.
The entire first floor was dedicated to a detailed exhibit on Brazilian coffee, with regional varieties from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais on display, from the most affordable to the most expensive. Jars illustrated the stages of the coffee plant’s life cycle, from berry to bean. At the rear, a São Paulo coffee plantation installation served complimentary coffee to visitors.
Beyond its coffee exhibit, the building served as both an entertainment venue and the headquarters for the Brazilian Commission. A broad staircase led to the second floor, where visitors found the commission’s offices, private quarters, a parlor and a lavishly decorated reception room with paintings by Brazilian artists. From here, guests could climb spiral staircases to the central dome and roof garden, offering panoramic views and a resting place.
Costa Rica Building
Designed by American architect James G. Hill, the Costa Rica Building cost $20,000 and featured a Classical Revival style similar to that of today’s Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry. Over each entrance, the building displayed the national shield of Costa Rica, and a front terrace with balustrades overlooked the North Pond, offering visitors a scenic resting spot.
Inside, a single large, airy hall, lit by clerestory windows and skylights, showcased Costa Rica’s natural resources and manufactured goods. Miniature mountain models illustrated industries like resins, gums, roots, silk production, and marine resources such as fish, turtle shells and seashells. Displays included finished silk products, jewelry made from turtle shell and seashells, hardware, cases of wine, ale and beer.
Galleries featured photographs of Costa Rican landscapes, portraits of prominent citizens, taxidermized native animals, and even a cage of live monkeys, which entertained visitors. A coffee stand served Costa Rican coffee alongside galleta de maíz polacas, a thin, waffle-textured corn cookie, all within a breezy, inviting setting.
Guatemala Building
Designed by J.B. Mora, the two-story, 12,500-square-foot Guatemala Building cost $40,000 and reflected Spanish colonial architectural influences. Each of its four corners featured a domed tower, with staircases leading visitors to a reception room and wraparound terrace. Built of wood, iron, and artificial stone, the exterior was decorated with native fruit and flower ornamentation.
Inside, a central courtyard with a fountain and surrounding gallery was intended to resemble a traditional Spanish-style patio. The building showcased Guatemala’s flora, fauna, and its coffee industry. A nearby rustic hut offered fresh Guatemalan coffee, while the surrounding gardens resembled a working plantation with banana trees and native plants.
Venezuela Building
Also designed by J.B. Mora, the Venezuela Building was notable for its gray exterior with green and gold, fluted columns, winged sections, and dome-shaped roofs. On either side of the entrance were statues of Simón Bolívar and Christopher Columbus, created by Italian sculptor Giovanni Turini.
The building housed a reception room and a gallery of paintings by Venezuelan artists, including Arturo Michelena’s Penthesilea and Cristóbal Rojas’s El Purgatorio. Exhibits explored Venezuela’s prehistory and colonial past, featuring artifacts from Francisco Pizarro’s Spanish conquests and Simón Bolívar’s personal effects, such as a saddlecloth made of precious metals and a sword encrusted with 1,380 diamonds.
Venezuela also highlighted its natural resources and industries, with displays of minerals, spices, woods, crafts, and agricultural goods, including shelves filled with beans of various shapes and colors. Animals, including a 25-foot-long snakeskin, were displayed, and Venezuelan coffee was featured prominently.
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