Escazú (canton)
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Escazú is the second
canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...
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 country's earliest, established on December 7, 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 Cerros de Escazú (translation: Escazú Mountains) are a mountain range in San José Province, in central Costa Rica. Geography The range borders the Costa Rican Central Valley to the south. It is considered the northernmost portion of the Cordi ...
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 Ciudad () is the Spanish word for "city". Ciudad or La Ciudad may also refer to: * La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona * La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico * ''La ciudad'', a novel by Mario Levrero published ...
), 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 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 (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 Spani ...
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 their descendants. To safeguard the Old Christian popula ...
were known to have settled in the area.


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 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.


Geography

Escazú has an area of and a mean elevation of .


Government


Mayor

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton. 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.


Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called ) 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 () is absent. 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. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:


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 ...
: * Escazú *
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
* San Rafael


Demographics

Escazú had an estimated residents in 2022, up from for the 2011 census. 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 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
, Escazú ranked as the 2nd highest canton in Costa Rica regarding
human development Human development may refer to: * Development of the human body ** This includes physical developments such as growth, and also development of the brain * Developmental psychology * Development theory * Human development (economics) * Human Develo ...
in 2022, with a score of , only behind Santa Ana.


Transportation


Road transportation

The following road routes cover the canton:


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Escazu Canton Cantons of San José Province Greater Metropolitan Area (Costa Rica)