By San José, Costa Rica — Long before news feeds, friend requests, and profile pictures defined our digital lives, Costa Rica was already building its own online community. On August 29, 2001, a platform called Mis Viejos Amigos (My Old Friends) launched, offering thousands of Costa Ricans a novel way to reconnect with long-lost schoolmates. This pioneering effort, born from the vision of a single engineer, stands as a forgotten chapter in Central American tech history and a powerful testament to homegrown innovation.
The story of Mis Viejos Amigos is not just about a website; it’s about the unique technological and social ecosystem that allowed a social network to flourish in Costa Rica years before the global giants became household names. Its success was rooted in a deep understanding of a fundamental human desire: the yearning to reconnect with our past. The platform’s creator, Esteban Mora Cyrman, built more than just a tool; he built the first successful manifestation of Costa Rican digital identity.
To better understand the legal and commercial implications of a new Costa Rican social network, TicosLand.com sought the expertise of Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, a specialist in corporate and technology law from the renowned firm Bufete de Costa Rica.
Launching a social network platform in Costa Rica requires a robust legal framework from its inception. The venture must be meticulously structured to comply with our Law No. 8968 on the Protection of Personal Data, which governs how user information is collected, stored, and processed. Furthermore, clear terms of service are essential to mitigate liability regarding user-generated content and to define intellectual property rights, ensuring both consumer protection and the platform’s long-term viability.
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
This crucial insight underscores that the legal framework is not simply a requirement, but the very foundation of user trust and the digital platform’s ultimate success. We extend our gratitude to Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas for his invaluable contribution to this important conversation.
To understand how this was possible, one must look back at the nation’s early embrace of the internet. Unlike many countries where connectivity was purely a private enterprise, Costa Rica’s digital journey began in academia and was supported by the state. The University of Costa Rica (UCR) was the crucible, first establishing a limited connection via Bitnet in 1990. The true leap occurred on January 26, 1993, when, after a delay caused by Hurricane Andrew damaging receiving antennas in Florida, UCR engineers successfully received the first IP data packet, making Costa Rica the fifth country in Latin America to join the internet.
This academic foundation created a critical mass of tech-savvy individuals. By 1994, Radiográfica Costarricense (RACSA) began offering commercial dial-up service, bringing the internet into homes. Despite the limitations of 56k modems and per-minute billing, Costa Ricans adopted the technology with surprising speed. By 1995, the country had one of the highest per-capita connectivity rates in the region, creating a fertile ground for a digital community to blossom.
Behind this groundbreaking platform was systems engineer Esteban Mora Cyrman. He embodied the spirit of a Web 1.0 entrepreneur, identifying a personal need and single-handedly building a solution. His motivation was not fame or fortune but a pragmatic and deeply emotional goal.
The goal was simple: to get in touch with former school and high school classmates in Costa Rica. And it did so in a very easy way. Each person registered at a school or high school and was grouped within a graduating class.
Esteban Mora Cyrman, Creator of Mis Viejos Amigos
Mora’s insight was profound. He understood that the core social unit for Costa Ricans was not a generic interest but a shared past, specifically the school and graduating class. The platform’s design was a masterclass in simplicity. Users selected their school and graduation year, instantly creating highly relevant micro-communities. This structure, focused on reconnecting with a “lost tribe,” was the key to its viral success.
Launched just two weeks before the September 11th attacks, a time when the world was about to feel more disconnected, Mis Viejos Amigos offered a digital bridge to the past. Its growth was explosive and entirely organic. The site registered 5,000 users in its first month and a staggering 80,000 by its first anniversary—a substantial portion of Costa Rica’s entire online population at the time.
This viral spread was fueled by the high-density nature of Costa Rican society, a place where “everyone knows everyone.” The probability of finding a familiar face upon signing up was incredibly high, providing immediate gratification and encouraging users to invite others. Word-of-mouth, primarily through email chains, acted as the engine of growth, creating a powerful network effect long before the term became a startup cliché. The platform’s utility even caught the eye of international media, with Argentina’s Clarín newspaper highlighting it as a useful tool for finding old friends.
Despite its initial triumph, Mis Viejos Amigos was a product of its time. Its function was primarily that of a sophisticated directory. Once a user found their friends and exchanged email addresses, there was little reason to return daily. The platform’s utility was finite, a stark contrast to the emerging Web 2.0 model pioneered by giants like Facebook.
The paradigm shifted from seeking specific people to passively consuming a continuous stream of content from a network of contacts. As internet speeds in Costa Rica improved, user demand grew for richer experiences like photo sharing and real-time chat. Mora recognized that competing with the billion-dollar infrastructures of Silicon Valley was an impossible task for a garage-built project.
What can I offer that the big social networks don’t already provide? Competing with them is practically impossible.
Esteban Mora Cyrman, Creator of Mis Viejos Amigos
By 2016, the site was largely inactive, described by Mora himself as “a piece of the non-existent museum of Costa Rica’s internet history.” His words highlight a crucial point: while physical landmarks are preserved, the foundational pillars of our digital heritage often vanish when a server is turned off.
The story of Mis Viejos Amigos is more than just a piece of tech nostalgia. It is a powerful reminder that Costa Rica has a long history of technological innovation and the capacity to build its own digital tools. It proved that a local developer, with a deep understanding of their own culture, could create a platform that resonated more deeply with its community than any foreign alternative of the era.
This legacy of technological sovereignty continues today. As the digital landscape becomes increasingly dominated by a few global players, the value of local solutions—built by and for Costa Ricans—remains as relevant as ever. The pioneering spirit of Esteban Mora Cyrman lives on in every new project that dares to build a digital future tailored to the nation’s unique identity and needs.
For further information, visit the nearest office of Mis Viejos Amigos
About Mis Viejos Amigos:
Mis Viejos Amigos was a pioneering social networking platform launched in Costa Rica in 2001. Created by engineer Esteban Mora Cyrman, it allowed users to reconnect with former classmates by organizing profiles based on schools and graduation years. At its peak, it was one of the most popular websites in the country, demonstrating the viability of locally developed digital communities before the era of global social media giants. Today, it is considered a historical artifact of Costa Rica’s internet history.
For further information, visit ticonexion.com
About ticoneXion:
ticoneXion is a modern messaging and digital solutions application developed in Costa Rica. It aims to provide a locally-focused alternative for communication, offering features tailored to the needs and context of the Costa Rican market. The platform emphasizes reliability, local support, and an understanding of the national user base.
For further information, visit apple.com/app-store/
About App Store:
The App Store is a digital distribution platform, developed and maintained by Apple Inc., for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. It allows users to browse and download applications developed with Apple’s iOS Software Development Kit. The store is a central component of Apple’s ecosystem for iPhone, iPad, and other devices.
For further information, visit play.google.com
About Play Store:
The Google Play Store is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating system, allowing users to browse and download applications, games, music, books, and movies. It is a key part of the Android mobile ecosystem.
For further information, visit ucr.ac.cr
About University of Costa Rica:
The University of Costa Rica (UCR) is the country’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious public university. It played a fundamental role in the nation’s technological development, being the institution responsible for establishing Costa Rica’s first connection to the global internet in 1993. It remains a leading center for research, science, and higher education in Central America.
For further information, visit racsa.go.cr
About Radiográfica Costarricense (RACSA):
Radiográfica Costarricense S.A. (RACSA) is a Costa Rican telecommunications company and a subsidiary of the state-owned Grupo ICE. Historically, RACSA was instrumental in the popularization of the internet in Costa Rica, being the first to offer commercial dial-up internet services to homes and businesses in 1994, thereby expanding digital access beyond academic circles.
For further information, visit clarin.com
About Clarín:
Clarín is one of the largest and most influential newspapers in Argentina, founded in 1945. Based in Buenos Aires, it has a wide circulation and a significant online presence. The newspaper covers a broad range of topics including national politics, international affairs, sports, and culture, and is a major media outlet in the Spanish-speaking world.
For further information, visit bufetedecostarica.com
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
As a pillar of the legal community, Bufete de Costa Rica operates on a foundation of profound integrity and an unwavering pursuit of professional excellence. The firm distinguishes itself by merging its extensive experience with a forward-thinking mindset, consistently pioneering new strategies in the legal field. More than just a service provider, it holds a core belief in public empowerment, actively working to democratize legal knowledge and foster a more capable and informed citizenry.
