Santa Ana (canton)

Santa Ana Cantón de Santa Ana (Spanish)
Canton
From the top, left to right: The Saint Anne parish church, a Roble Sabana, the Escazú mountains as seen from the Salitral district, the Santa Ana Conservation Centre, a shopping centre, a view of the sunset in the Piedades district, a view of Santa Ana at night.
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  Valle del Sol Spanish for: "Valley of the Sun"
Santa Ana canton
Santa Ana Santa Ana canton location in San José Province Santa Ana Santa Ana canton location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 9.9184253°N 84.1957531°W / 9.9184253; -84.1957531
Country	Costa Rica
Province	San José
Creation	29 August 1907
Head city	Santa Ana
Districts	Districts Santa Ana Salitral Pozos Uruca Piedades Brasil
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Santa Ana
• Mayor	Juan José Vargas Fallas (PUSC)
Area
• Total	61.42 km2 (23.71 sq mi)
Elevation	904 m (2,966 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	49,123
• Estimate  (2022)	58,020
• Density	800/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Santaneño, -a
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	109
Website	www.santaana.go.cr

Santa Ana (Spanish: Cantón de Santa Ana) is the ninth canton in the San José province of Costa Rica. It is located in the Central Valley. It borders with the Alajuela canton to the north, the Mora canton to the south and west, the Escazú canton to the east, as well as the Belén canton to the north east. As of 2022, the canton has the highest Human Development Index of any region in Costa Rica with a score of 0.871.

Toponymy

The first mention of the name appears in the Protocols of Cartago on December 1, 1658, when part of the land which now conforms the canton became property of José de Alvarado and Petronilla de Retes after their marriage. The name of the lands comes from the original owner, Jerónimo de Retes y López de Ortega, father of Petronilla. Ortega was seeded the land in the 17th century by the Spanish crown as recognition for his work as an official in Cartago. It is theorised that the lands were named in honour of Saint Anne, possibly because Ortega had a special affinity with the saint (as he would later name his daughter Ana de Retes after the saint as well).

History

Pre-Columbian and Early History

The earliest known occupied settlements in the region can be dated to the 3rd century, with the land that now conforms the canton being part of the indigenous Reino Huetar de Occidente ("The Huetar Kingdom of the West"). At the time of the Spanish's arrival in the 16th century, this kingdom was one of two indigenous kingdoms ruled by the cacique Garabito. A total of 11 archaeological sites can be found in the canton.

After Christopher Columbus' arrival on the Costa Rican coast in 1502, the Spanish made few expeditions into the region, with no permanent Spanish settlement existing in the region for nearly 60 years following Columbus' arrival. However in 1559, upon receiving a royal license from Philip II of Spain, the governor of Nicaragua, Juan de Cavallón y Arboleda, planned an effort to colonise the Costa Rican Caribbean coast. Although this effort failed, in January 1561, alongside an expedition formed by 80 Spaniards, slaves and a large amount of livestock, Cavallón entered the region from Nicaragua, in another effort to settle and pacify the region. The expedition would pass near the modern-day location of Puntarenas, before marching further inland. There, Cavallón would send out various hunting parties, one of which captured an indigenous Chorotega chief called Coyote. Subsequently, Coyote's subjects agreed to guide Cavallón further inland. From here, it is likely that the expedition followed the Central Valley's ridgelines, passing by the modern day location of Santiago de Puriscal, before entering the Santa Ana Valley.

There, it is believed that Cavallón founded the settlement of Castillo de Garcimuñoz, which was named after his birthplace. It is believed to be the first permanent Spanish settlement in the region, as well as the first Spanish settlement in the Central Valley. However, the location of settlement has been debated, with some suggesting the location was further east, near modern day Desamparados. In 1562 however, Cavallón would leave the settlement, possibly discouraged by the lack of gold deposits in the region. He was replaced by veteran explorer Juan Vázquez de Coronado. By 1563, the settlement was mostly abandoned, with many inhabitants (including Coronado) moving further east, where Coronado would eventually found the city of Cartago. This was possibly done due to resistance from local tribes or possibly due to the lack of slave labour. Following Cavallón's settlement, another expedition led by Don Antonio de Pereira would reach as far as the Santa Ana mountains, a region now known as "El Alto de las Palomas" ("The Pigeon's Height").

The canton was further colonised in the 16th or 17th century, following the ceding of the land by the Spanish crown to Jerónimo de Retes y López de Ortega, the high sheriff of Cartago. These lands were ceded as recognition for his work. Following Jerónimo’s daughter (Petronila de Retes)’s marriage to José de Alvarado, part of the lands were ceded into the couple’s possession in a letter in the Protocols of Cartago dated on the 1 December, 1658. This letter also marks the first mention of the name Santa Ana, as a name for the lands. Soon afterwards however, the lands would pass down to Ana de Retes, Petronilla’s sister. Ana would later sell the lands in which the modern head city of Santa Ana is located in.

The Retes family would later sell part of the lands in 1750 to a priest named Juan de Pomar y Burgos. Around the year 1765, Pomar would build a house, (now known as "La Casona") as-well as a chapel. The Casona is still standing today, and is now part of the Museo Histórico Agrícola (Historical Agricultural Museum) located in the Santa Ana Conservation Centre. La Casona was also declared Historical Arquitectural Heritage of Costa Rica. It is one of the oldest structures located at the Conservation Centre.

By 1817, most of the land had come into possession of Ana María de Cárdenas. However, by 1850, the lands had changed hands multiple times, eventually ending up in the hands of a priest named Ana Tiburcio Fernández Valverde. Valverde would subsequently remodel the old chapel, converting it into a small hermitage, which would open in 1850. Around this time, the modern day head city of the canton (Santa Ana) began to arise around the Fernández property, along the Uruca river. In March 1870, the current parish church of Santa Ana began construction, with it being completed in 1880. The centre of the future district moved east around this time to the location of the new parish church.

Road sign for the Uruca River, seen off National Route 27

In the 1864 Costa Rican census, the region of Santa Ana, at the time a part of the Escazú canton, is recorded as having a population of 1,068. 6 years later in 1870, the government of Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez creates the Santa Ana mayorship, and names Cerlindo Villareal as its first mayor. In 1890, a piece of former Fernández property, known as "Hacienda Ross" (named after its original owner, Englishman Robert Ross Lang), is believed to have become the first ever Costa Rican settlement for railway workers, due to the good relationship between the railroad builder, Minor Kieth, and the Ross family.

Independence From Escazú and Modern History

On the 29 of August 1907, under law no.8, Santa Ana was awarded the title of canton, becoming fully independent from Escazú. The first session of the new council was held on the 15th of September that same year.

In 1908, a contract was signed to build Costa Rica's second hydroelectric plant in the Brasil district of the canton, with it being finished it 1912. Electric streetlights would arrive the following year. Around 1915, it is believed that onions were introduced to the canton, they would quickly become Santa Ana's most famous crop, with Santa Ana citizens being given the nickname of "Cebolleros" (onion farmers). Santa Ana holds an Onion fair even in modern times. Following the military coup of Federico Tinoco Granados in 1917, the city of Santa Ana would become a mayor stronghold for rebellion against the government. Among the leaders of this rebellion was Jorge Volio Jiménez, a priest who was later honoured with a head bust outside of the Municipal Building of Santa Ana. Tinico's rule would only last 2 years, with him being deposed in 1919. Costa Rica's first international airport would open in the canton, in the barrio of Lindora, in 1931, with the town soon being modernised into an international gateway for the country around 1934. The country's main airport would be moved to La Sabana in 1940.

During the 1948 Costa Rican Civil War, the canton would be home to Marcial Aguiluz Orellana, a leading figure in the National Liberation Army during the civil war. He would later help defeat a counter-revolutionary movement by Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia in 1955, and would eventually join the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. He would die in the canton in 1986. The first automatic telephone would arrive in the canton in 1966. On the 4 May 1970, Santa Ana was officially declared a city under the municipal code, and would become the seat for the Santa Ana canton.

In 1971, the name of "Valley of the Sun" would be adopted by the municipality after being used as a traditional nickname for the canton for years. On the 23 March that same year, a group of the canton's citizens gathered in the Andrés Bello López school to discuss the creation of a college to serve the area. Following a 6 month funding campaign, the Colegio de Santa Ana (Santa Ana College) is founded in September 1971, with it beginning its activities in 1972. Following his appointment as coordinator to the Cultural Affairs Commission of the canton’s municipal council, Dr. Jorge Luis Acevedo Vargas began an investigation into the canton’s cultural potential. Following his investigation’s publishing as a book, and support from the canton’s Municipal Council, Dr. Acevedo’s proposal of an art school and art gallery to support the region was approved in 1998. The Municipal School of Integrated Arts and gallery were both created that same year. They are located in the canton’s head city of Santa Ana.

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 Social Christian Unity Party candidate, Juan José Vargas Fallas, was elected mayor of the canton with 26.79% of the votes, with María de los Ángeles Sibaja and Alexander Hernández Hernández as first and second vice mayors, respectively.

Mayors of Santa Ana since the 2002 elections

Period	Name	Party
2002–2006	Rónald Octavio Traña Calvo	PUSC
2006–2010	Gerardo Oviedo Espinoza	PLN
2010–2016
2016–2020
2020–2024
2024–2028	Juan José Vargas Fallas	PUSC

Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Santa Ana's Municipal Council has 9 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent. The current president of the Municipal Council is the Party of the Sun regidora, María Paula Villarreal Galera, with the Social Christian Unity Party member, Gonzalo Rojas Rojas, as vice president. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Current composition of the Municipal Council of Santa Ana after the 2024 municipal elections

Political parties in the Municipal Council of Santa Ana
Political party			Regidores
			№	Owner	Substitute
	Party of the Sun (PDS)		2	Marco Aurelio Odio Aguilar	Esteban Blanco Herrera
				María Paula Villarreal Galera(P)	Debbie Mayela Zamora Leitón
	Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC)		2	Cynthia Jorleny Chaves Robles	Sofía Álvarez Kim
				Gonzalo Rojas Rojas(VP)	Ricardo Enrique Alfaro Zamora
	National Liberation Party (PLN)		2	Walter Alberto Herrera Cantillo	José Roberto Castro Araya
				Milena Blen Alvarado	Marcela María Sibaja Cabrera
	Social Christian Republican Party (PRSC)		1	Danny Ricardo Ureña Marín	Emmanuel Morales Mora

Geography

Santa Ana has an area of 61.42 km² (23.71 sq mi) and a mean elevation of 904 m (2,966 ft).

The triangular-shaped canton is delineated by the Virilla River on the north and stretches south as it narrows to include a portion of the Cerros de Escazú.

Districts

The canton of Santa Ana is subdivided into the following districts:

Districts of the Santa Ana Canton
#	District	Area (km2)	Elevation	Population (2022)
1	Santa Ana	5.44	904 m	13,186
2	Salitral	20.29	1022 m.	4,626
3	Pozos	13.35	847 m.	17,516
4	Uruca	7.03	873 m.	9,423
5	Piedades	12.07	899 m	9,393
6	Brasil	3.24	878 m	3,876

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1927	3,785	—
1950	5,812	+1.88%
1963	9,026	+3.44%
1973	14,499	+4.85%
1984	19,605	+2.78%
2000	34,507	+3.60%
2011	49,123	+3.26%
2022	58,020	+1.52%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos Centro Centroamericano de Población

Santa Ana had an estimated population of 58,020 people in 2022, an increase from the 49,123 recorded at the time of the 2011 census.

In 2022, the canton would obtain the highest Human Development Index in the country with a score of 0.871.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 22
• National Route 27
• National Route 121
• National Route 147
• National Route 310
• National Route 311

Culture

Music and Visual Arts

The canton is served by the Municipal School of Integrated Arts, which is located in the canton’s head city of Santa Ana. It is funded by the canton’s local government. The school was founded upon the approval of a proposal made by Dr. Jorge Luis Acevedo in 1998. The school also has an art gallery, also created in 1998, a cafe, and several sculptures and statues along the school’s entrance. The school holds several events, including a Baroque music festival, and the "Luz de Luna Verano" ("Summer Moonlight") festival, which is based on tradicional Costa Rican culture.

Symbols

Flag

The canton's flag

Adopted by the municipal council of the canton on 22 April 1987, the flag consists of three symmetrical horizontal stripes. The top most green stripe represents the canton's nature and fields, the middle yellow stripe represents the sun (as the canton and the valley it resides in has been nicknamed "The Valley of the Sun"), and the lower most pink stripe representing the colour of the flowers of the Roble Sabana, another of the canton's symbols.

Coat of Arms

The canton's coat of arms

Designed in 1971, the coat of arms’s shield features a valley, which is crossed by a path coming from a hill. Upon this hill is a Roble Sabana. It also features a man working with a shovel. Above the shield is a yellow medieval-style turret and a blue ribbon with the canton’s name written on it. The shield is surrounded by two coffee branches. Below the shield is another blue ribbon, upon which is written the year of the canton’s creation, 1907.

Roble de Sabana

A Roble Sabana

The Tabebuia rosea (nicknamed "Roble de Sabana", meaning Savannah Oak) is native to Costa Rica, and can be seen in the country's warm areas. It was declared a symbol of the canton by Santa Ana's Municipal Council in ordinary session n.267 held on June 23, 2015. The tree can also be seen of the canton's coat of arms and flag.

The Onion and Agricultural Fairs

It is believed that the onion was introduced to the canton around 1915, with most farmers of the region subsidizing thanks to the vegetable. By 1970, approximately 200 hectares of onion were planted. However due to the region’s urbanization, it is estimated that that number has lowered to around 50 hectares in modern times. The region’s onions are known for a few of their characteristics: Their colourization, firmness, globe-like shape, as-well as the traditional cultivation and drying methods used during their production. The latter of these two methods leads to dry onions with golden-like skin, which makes them able to last around 3 months. In the canton, the highest production of the onion is seen between September and March. The region’s onions only have one harvest season, between March and April.

The canton hosts the Feria de la Cebolla ("Onion’s Fair"), a fair which is seen as one of Costa Rica’s traditional fairs. Held since 1991, and held in the month of March, the fair is organized by the Centro Agrícola Cantonal ("Cantonal Agricultural Centre" or CAC). The 2017 and 2023 fairs were also organized by the Santa Ana municipality. The former was also organized by the Agencia de Extensión del Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería ("Extension Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock" or MAG). The fair has also seen sales of churros, pupusas, other onion based products, handmade products (referred to as "artesanías" in Spanish), among others. The fair has also held sporting and musical events.

Notable people

This is a list of people born or that have lived in Santa Ana.

• Marcia González Aguiluz: Lawyer with an emphasis on environmental law. She was the president of the Citizens' Action Party between 2017 and 2018, as well as former minister of justice and peace under president Carlos Alvarado Quesada.
• María Luisa Ávila Agüero: A Pediatric subspecializing in infectious diseases who was the minister of health under presidents Óscar Arias Sánchez and Laura Chinchilla.
• Michael Umaña: Former football player who played as a defender.
• Carlos Martínez: Football player who currently plays at A.D. San Carlos as a defender.
• Marcial Aguiluz Orellana: A Honduran farmer who would join the Costa Rican legislative assembly on two occasions. He was a rebel figure in the 1948 civil war. He lived and died in the canton.