Escazú (canton)

Escazú is the second canton in the province of San José in Costa Rica.^[1][2]

Escazú
Canton
Escazú at night.
Flag Seal
Escazú canton
Escazú Escazú canton location in San José Province Show map of San José Province Escazú Escazú canton location in Costa Rica Show map of Costa Rica
Coordinates: 9.9167075°N 84.1532395°W / 9.9167075; -84.1532395
Country	Costa Rica
Province	San José
Creation	7 December 1848
Head city	Escazú
Districts	Districts Escazú San Antonio San Rafael
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Escazú
• Mayor	Orlando Esteban Umaña Umaña (PNG)
Area
• Total	34.53 km2 (13.33 sq mi)
Elevation	1,129 m (3,704 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	56,509
• Estimate  (2022)	71,500
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	102
Website	www.escazu.go.cr

The canton lies west of the San José Canton, and its whole territory is part of the Greater Metropolitan Area.

The canton was one of the country's earliest, established on December 7, 1848.^[3] As the metropolitan area has expanded Escazú has become a suburban area on the west side of the national capital city of San José. It is delineated by the Río Tiribí on its northern border. The peak of Cerro Cedral in the Cerros de Escazú marks the southern limit of the canton.

Toponymy

The name "Escazú" derives from the indigenous word "Izt-kat-zu", which means "resting stone". The story tells of Indians traveling from Aserrí (south of San José) to Pacaca (near Ciudad Colón), who used to stop and rest at this location, which was about halfway between the two villages.^{[citation needed]}

History

Escazú was first mentioned as a canton in a decree dated 7 December 1848.^[4]

The first inhabitants were natives from the Guetaras or Huaca tribes. By 1755, villagers were ordered out of Escazú and moved to San José by force. From 1796 to 1799, the church of San Miguel was built with the cooperation of the people who had already been re-established at this site. By 1801, the population of Escazú reached 1,325. On May 28, 1920, the government of Costa Rica granted Escazú the status of City, head of the Canton (County) of Escazú.

Popular legend tags Escazú as La Ciudad de las Brujas (the City of the Witches), leading to its municipal seal, a depiction of a witch on a broomstick flying over the surrounding mountains. It has been suggested that this reputation stems from the perception of Crypto-Jewish traditions since a large number of Conversos were known to have settled in the area.^[5]

Landmarks

Local landmarks in the canton include the Costa Rica Country Club, the Multiplaza Mall, and, more recently, Avenida Escazú. These new complexes hold some of the world's most luxurious brands in Multiplaza Mall. Escazú is also home to several diplomatic missions, including the residence of the Ambassador from the United States.

Geography

Escazú has an area of 34.53 km² (13.33 sq mi)^[6] and a mean elevation of 1,129 m (3,704 ft).^[1]

Government

Mayor

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.^[7] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the New Generation Party candidate, Orlando Esteban Umaña Umaña, was elected mayor of the canton with 30.28% of the votes, with Ligia Hernández Rojas and Sylvia Alpizar Antillón as first and second vice mayors, respectively.^[8]

Mayors of Escazú since the 2002 elections^[9]

Period	Name	Party
2002–2006	Marco Antonio Segura Seco	PLN
2006–2010
2010–2016	Arnoldo Valentín Barahona Cortés	YUNTA
2016–2020
2020–2024		PNG
2024–2028	Orlando Esteban Umaña Umaña

Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Escazú's Municipal Council has 7 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent.^[7] The current president of the Municipal Council is the Terra Escazú regidor Mario Arce Guillén, with National Liberation Party member Silvia Quesada Marcela Zamora as vice president.^[10] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Current composition of the Municipal Council of Escazú after the 2024 municipal elections^[11]

Political parties in the Municipal Council of Escazú
Political party			Regidores
			№	Owner	Substitute
	New Generation Party (PNG)		2	José Campos Quesada	Geovanni Andrés Vargas Delgado
				Sigrid Miller Esquivel	Ana María Barrenechea Soto
	United We Can (UP)		1	Laura Fonseca Herrera	Seydi Vargas Rojas
	United for Escazú (UPES)		1	Ricardo López Granados	James Eduardo Chacón Castro
	Terra Escazú (TE)		1	Mario Arce Guillén(P)	Manuel Flores Fernández
	Escazú's Progressive Yoke (YUNTA)		1	Adriana Solís Araya	Doris Mayela Agüero Córdoba
	National Liberation Party (PLN)		1	Silvia Marcela Quesada Zamora(VP)	Silvia María Castro Mendoza

Districts

The canton of Escazú is subdivided into three districts:^[12]

• Escazú
• San Antonio
• San Rafael

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1864	8,760	—
1883	5,550	−2.37%
1892	6,522	+1.81%
1927	5,113	−0.69%
1950	7,141	+1.46%
1963	14,250	+5.46%
1973	25,026	+5.79%
1984	33,101	+2.57%
2000	52,372	+2.91%
2011	56,509	+0.69%
2022	71,500	+2.16%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[13] Centro Centroamericano de Población[14]

Escazú had an estimated 71,500 residents in 2022, up from 56,509 for the 2011 census.^[15][16]

The canton's urban areas are home to 79.8% of its population. Children under ten account for 17.88% of the population, while 6.05% are over 65.

According to a publication by the United Nations Development Programme, Escazú ranked as the 2nd highest canton in Costa Rica regarding human development in 2022, with a score of 0.867, only behind Santa Ana.^[17]

Transportation

Road transportation

The following road routes cover the canton:

• National Route 27
• National Route 105
• National Route 121
• National Route 167
• National Route 177
• National Route 310

References

1. "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). March 19, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
2. División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. March 8, 2017. ISBN 978-9977-58-477-5.
3. "Municipalidad de Escazú, Costa Rica – Reseña Histórica". escazu.go.cr. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
4. Hernández, Hermógenes (1985). Costa Rica: evolución territorial y principales censos de población 1502 - 1984 (in Spanish) (1 ed.). San José: Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia. pp. 164–173. ISBN 9977-64-243-5. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
5. Metal, Roots (2021). The Witches of Escazú and Other Jewish Fairytales. p. 14-15. ISBN 979-8-9851054-0-7.
6. Instituto Geográfico Nacional de Costa Rica (June 20, 2024). "División Territorial Administrativa, 2024 – Totales de Provincias, Cantones y Distritos de Costa Rica" [Administrative Territorial Division, 2024 – Totals of Provinces, Cantons and Districts of Costa Rica] (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved July 16, 2024.
7. Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica (May 13, 2024). "Código Municipal" [Municipal Code]. Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). Retrieved July 21, 2024.
8. Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (February 21, 2024). "N.° 1658-E11-2024 - Declaratoria de elección de alcaldías y vicealcaldías de las municipalidades de los cantones de la provincia de San José, para el período comprendido entre el primero de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro y el treinta de abril de dos mil veintiocho" (in Spanish). Retrieved July 21, 2024.
9. Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. "Resoluciones declaratorias de elección". Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (in Spanish). Retrieved July 21, 2024.
10. Concejo Municipal de Escazú (May 13, 2024). "ACTA 02-2024 Sesión Ordinaria 02" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved July 21, 2024.
11. Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (February 12, 2024). "N.° 2218-E11-2024 - Declaratoria de elección de regidurías de las municipalidades de los cantones de la provincia de San José, para el período comprendido entre el primero de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro y el treinta de abril de dos mil veintiocho" (in Spanish). Retrieved July 21, 2024.
12. "División Territorial Administrativa de Costa Rica" (PDF) (in Spanish). Instituto de Fomento y Asesoria Municipal (IFAM). May 5, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 2, 2015.
13. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
14. Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
15. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (2023). "Resultados Estimacion de Poblacion y Vivienda 2022" [2022 Population and Housing Estimate Results] (XLSX) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
16. "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved September 26, 2020.
17. Sistema Nacional de Información y Registro Único de Beneficiarios del Estado; Escuela de Estadística de la Universidad de Costa Rica; Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (June 9, 2023). "Atlas de Desarrollo Humano Cantonal en Costa Rica, 2022". Retrieved July 21, 2024.