Despite the small indigenous population, the Spanish settlers and the indigenous people generally got along and intermarried, although the number of Spanish greatly outnumbered the local population so most people appear almost wholly Spanish. Despite this, the number of both groups was small as the Spanish put very little money or effort into the region since there was little farmland or natural resources to make a profit from in the region.
Since the Spanish colonization efforts essentially ended at the borders of Costa Rica, the people in the region became quite poor during the colonial period. Just as the lands had been prior to colonization, the lands were very sparsely populated after Spanish colonization. Also, since there was little good farm land, most people in the country moved to the mountains where the temperatures were cooler, something that led to the growth of coffee, which is still one of the country's largest exports today.
Even today the people of Costa Rica remain similar to the Spanish as their traditions dominate indigenous ones, most people are Catholic, speak Spanish, and even eat Spanish foods. However, the food is truly a combination of locally available foods with Spanish influence, making the cuisine fairly original on a world scale, but similar to other Central American countries. Coffee plantations are still a viable way of life, but farming in the valleys and fishing along the coasts are also popular.
Despite the similarities to Spanish culture, the poverty of the country during the colonial days means many aspects of Spanish culture never arrived or were simple not affordable or accessible. Due to this, the culture in Costa Rica didn't wholly reflect that of Spain, nor did it reflect that of the indigenous people or the other Spanish colonies. Costa Rica has aspects of all these past influences, but is unique in many ways due to its past. Today it seems to be moving forward fairly steadily as coffee is simple important, but the economy is becoming more reliant on tourists, who seek out their coasts and mountains, creating a growing service industry.