La Nacion was founded by Sergio Carballo Romero, Ricardo Castro Beecher, and Jorge Salas on October 12, 1946. The newspaper was created during the confusion and political unrest caused by lingering electoral fraud, corruption scandals, government repression and street violence against the opposition. The newspaper is a general-purpose newspaper, and circulates daily all year long, except on three Costa Rican holidays; Good Friday and the following Saturday, and the day after New Year’s Day.

It is a tabloid newspaper that was established in 1979 and its first issue was released in October of the same year. Diario Extra or La Extra is one of the most highly read newspapers in Costa Rica, having the largest number of copies printed daily in the country. It is known for its use of red ink in headlines and for its inclusion of more left-wing political voices in its editorial section. The paper originally contained pictures of semi-nude women on the front page in order to increase circulation. To this day, the use of scantily clad young women is a popular mainstay on the front page.