Escazú is the second
canton in the province of
San José in Costa Rica.
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 earliest established in the country, in 7 December 1848. 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.
Geography
Escazú has an area of km²
and a mean elevation of metres.
Districts
The canton of Escazú is subdivided into three
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
(''distritos''):
*
Escazú
*
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
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*
San Rafael
Toponymy
The name "Escazú" derives from the indigenous word "Izt-kat-zu", which means "resting stone". The story tells of Indians traveling from
Aserri (south of San Jose) to Pacaca (near Ciudad Colon), who used to stop and rest at this location, which was about halfway between the two villages.
History
Escazú was first mentioned as a canton in a decree dated 7 December 1848.
The first inhabitants were natives from the
Guetaras or
Huaca
In the Quechuan languages of South America, a huaca or wak'a is an object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind. The term ''huaca'' can refer to natural locations, such as immense rocks. Some huacas have been asso ...
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 that had already 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 (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
Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith; practitioners are referred to as "crypto-Jews" (origin from Greek ''kryptos'' – , 'hidden').
The term is especially applied historically to Sp ...
traditions since a large number of
Conversos
A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert", () was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of his or her descendants.
To safeguard the Old Christian po ...
were known to have settled in the area.
Landmarks
Local landmarks in the canton include the Costa Rica Country Club, the Multi Plaza Mall, and more recently, Avenida Escazú. These new complexes hold some of the world's most luxurious brands in
Multiplaza
Multiplaza is a chain of shopping malls, owned by Grupo Roble of El Salvador (the real estate subsidiary of Grupo Poma), in Central America.
Background
The first Multiplaza mall opened in Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 1990 as part of the expansion pla ...
Mall. Escazú is also home to several diplomatic missions, including the residence of the Ambassador from the United States.
Demographics
For the
2011 census, Escazú had a population of inhabitants.
The canton's urban areas are home to 79.8% of its population. Children under the age of 10 account for 17.88% of the population, while 6.05% are over 65.
According to a 2012
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
, Escazú ranks as the 4th highest canton in Costa Rica in so far as human development.
Transportation
Road transportation
The canton is covered by the following road routes:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Escazu Canton
Cantons of San José Province
Greater Metropolitan Area (Costa Rica)