| Puriscal | |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Canton |
| Pushpin Map: | Costa Rica San José#Costa Rica |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Puriscal canton location in San José Province##Puriscal canton location in Costa Rica |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Puriscal canton location in San José Province##Puriscal canton location in Costa Rica |
| Coordinates: | 9.733°N -84.3726°W |
| Map Alt: | Puriscal canton |
| Established Title: | Creation |
| Established Date: | 26 June 1914 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | San José |
| Seat Type: | Head city |
| Seat: | Santiago |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Governing Body: | Spanish; Castilian: Municipalidad de Puriscal |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Iris Cristina Arroyo Hererra (PLN) |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts Style: | list |
| Parts: | Districts |
| P1: | Santiago |
| P2: | Mercedes Sur |
| P3: | Barbacoas |
| P4: | Grifo Alto |
| P5: | San Rafael |
| P6: | Candelarita |
| P7: | Desamparaditos |
| P8: | San Antonio |
| P9: | Chires |
| Area Total Km2: | 555.02 |
| Elevation M: | 945 |
| Population Total: | 33004 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Est: | 38525 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name: | Canton code |
| Blank Info: | 104 |
Puriscal is the 4th canton in the province of San José, Costa Rica.[1] [2] The head city of the canton is Santiago.
In Spanish, a Spanish; Castilian: purisco is the flower of the common bean. A Spanish; Castilian: puriscal is a field of flowering beans.
Puriscal canton was established by decree on 7 August 1868.[3]
Puriscal has an area of [4] and a mean elevation of .[1]
Chucás River delineates the canton's northernmost boundary, while the Chires River marks its far southern border, with the canton of Parrita in Puntarenas Province. Puriscal includes a significant portion of the Coastal Mountain Range. However, the canton is landlocked.
According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.[5] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the National Liberation Party candidate, Iris Cristina Arroyo Herrera, was elected mayor of the canton with 60.39% of the votes, with Miguel Ángel Mata Zúñiga and David Alonso Carrera Herrera as first and second vice mayors, respectively.[6]
| 2002–2006 | Carlos Araya Jiménez | PLN |
| 2006–2010 | Jorge Luis Chaves Gutiérrez | |
| 2010–2016 | Manuel Espinoza Campos | |
| 2016–2020 | Luis Madrigal Hidalgo | PUSC |
| 2020–2024 | Iris Cristina Arroyo Herrera | PLN |
| 2024–2028 |
Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called Spanish; Castilian: regidores) are elected every four years. Puriscal'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.[5] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:
| Political parties in the Municipal Council of Puriscal | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political party | Regidores | |||||
| № | Owner | Substitute | ||||
| National Liberation Party (PLN) | 3 | Santiago Castro Fallas | Giovanni Mora Rodríguez | |||
| Mireya Mora Jiménez | Mariangel Mora Herrera | |||||
| José Pablo Fernández Soto | Mario Chacón Rubí | |||||
| Puriscal on the Move (PM) | 1 | Orlando Fernández Fernández | Michael Hernán Fernández Guerrero | |||
| Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) | 1 | Gloriana Bermúdez Durán | Priscilla Vanessa Aguilar Jiménez | |||
Puriscal had an estimated population of people in 2022, up from at the time of the 2011 census.[9] [10]
Puriscal had a Human Development Index of 0.755 in 2022.[11]
Only 18% of the canton's population live in urban areas. Among its inhabitants, 20.2% are under ten, and 7.4% are over 65.
The canton of Puriscal is subdivided into the following districts:
The following road routes cover the canton: