David Díaz Arias is a Professor of History at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Recognized with the Luis Ferrero National Prize for Cultural Research (2015) and the Cleto González Víquez Prize, he collaborates extensively with international research networks funded by the DAAD, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the European Union, alongside North American institutions. His extensive publication record focuses on Central American and Costa Rican history, encompassing political culture, memory studies, state rituals, nationalisms, civil conflict, institutional development, caudillismo, state-building, literature, and speculative fiction. A founding member of the Maria Sibylla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies (CALAS)—headquartered in Guadalajara, Mexico—he frequently lectures across Latin America, North America, and Europe.