Province of Heredia

Heredia is a province of Costa Rica, located in the north-central part of the country. To the north it borders with Nicaragua, to the east with the province of Limón, to the south with the province of San José and to the west with the province of Alajuela.

Due to its territorial extension, Heredia is the smallest province of Costa Rica, representing 5.20% of the national territory. It is divided into 10 cantons. Geographically, the province is located in the north in the lowlands of the Northern Plains, while in the center-south it is crossed by the Central Volcanic mountain range; The south of the province is located in the Central Valley, and is part of the Greater Metropolitan Area. Despite being the smallest province in the country, Heredia is the fourth most populated province in the country, with a total of 433,677 inhabitants, representing 10.08% of Costa Rica. Heredia represented the Costa Rican coffee heartland for a long time with its large plantations of the so-called 'golden grain', although today, many of these coffee plantations have given way to residential, commercial and industrial projects, turning Heredia at home to large companies and real estate developments.

Its temperature ranges from warm and humid in the north of the province, to cold climate in its mountainous areas and temperate areas in the Central Valley area. The capital of the province is the city of Heredia, known as the 'City of Flowers'. This city is located 10 kilometers north of the capital of Costa Rica, the city of San José, and 12 kilometers east of the city of Alajuela.

The province of Heredia is rich in colonial tradition. Within its modernism, one perceives, through its old adobe houses with tiled roofs and its Spanish architecture, a unique extension of colonial elements. From a point of view of culture and popular folklore, Heredia is called the Province of Flowers, not only because of the presence or cultivation of flowers, but also because of the allusion to the large number of residents with the last name "Flores".

Toponymy

The name of the province of Heredia derives from the fact that Mr. Don Alonso Fernández de Heredia had been Captain General of the Captaincy General of Guatemala. This, when granting the title of town to the population of the Inmaculada Concepción de Cubujuquí on June 1, 1763, added, as was customary at that time, to the already long name of the town, the "Heredia" 3. 4; that would last, becoming known as "Villa de la Inmaculada Concepción de Cubujuquí de Heredia".

Acquiring the title of Villa in fact entailed a series of commitments and obligations. The jurisdiction had to be delimited within the four leagues provided by law; It was necessary to appoint six councilors, a Provincial Mayor, a General Depository (Treasurer), a Chief Constable and a Notary; In addition, the population had to have nearly fifteen hundred pesos for the construction of the prison and council houses, in addition to other obligations. Since that population was so poor, many of the requirements could not be met. On November 23, 1779, Captain General D. Matías de Gálvez revoked the validity of the title of Villa. Even after this had happened, the population continued to bear the name "of Heredia" despite the fact that it was Don Florencio del Castillo who on October 16, 1813 managed and finally obtained the title of Villa for the population that would last until today.

This fact cannot be interpreted as an act of recognition and affection towards Captain General Don Alonso Fernández de Heredia, because the character was completely unknown to the inhabitants of the Inmaculada Concepción de Cubujuquí de Heredia; What happened in the end was that the inhabitants of the town, because they did not like this very extensive name, ultimately adopted the last of the long series of names that would finally give the name to the current city and province of Heredia.

Alonso Fernández de Heredia

Don Alonso Fernández de Heredia governed the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1761 to 1765. He was a Spanish politician and military man of the 18th century , born in Cetina, Zaragoza, Spain. He was, in addition to the Captaincy General of Guatemala, Captain General of Florida and Yucatán, all under the reign of Ferdinand VI and Charles III of Spain.

Political positions of Fernández de Heredia

• In 1745 he was granted the rule of Nicaragua and the General Command of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
• In 1751 he became Governor of Florida.
• In 1758 he was appointed Governor and Captain General of Yucatan.
• In 1761 he is given the position of Governor and Captain General of the Guatemalan General Office.

Fernández de Heredia was Captain General of the Captaincy General of Guatemala until December 3, 1765, when he was dismissed by Royal resolution.

He died on March 19, 1782 in Guatemala City where he established his last residence. His remains rest next to the main altar of the Church of La Merced in what is now Antigua Guatemala.

As a curious fact, Alonso Fernández de Heredia would never get to know the city that finally and to this day continues to bear his name.

History

During the pre-Columbian era, the southern part of the province, which is located within the Central Valley, was inhabited by indigenous people from various Huetar chiefdoms, who were part of the so-called Huetar Kingdom of the West, which at the beginning of the conquest were domain of King Garabito. These aboriginal groups were mainly dedicated to hunting and growing cassava. Two vassals of Garabito had their domains in this region: Yurustí, king of Toyopán (cantons of San Rafael and Santo Domingo de Heredia), and Barvak, king of Barva (canton of Barva and canton of Heredia). To the north of the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, there were other indigenous ethnic groups that were tributaries of the Huetares: the Botos, on the slopes of the Barva volcano, and the Tises, on the plains of Sarapiquí.

In 1551 the first groups of Spaniards entered the Central Valley. Juan de Cavallón, who began this colonizing process, was the first to have news of what had to be called during the colony El Valle de Barva, a territory between the Virilla River and the Aguacate Mountains (they included part of the current provinces of Alajuela and Heredia). To begin the colonizing process, the dispersed groups of indigenous people in the territory were concentrated in a town called Barva, located in the vicinity of Getsemaní (currently belonging to the canton of San Rafael) in the year 1575.

Spanish emigrants populated fertile valleys such as Alvirilla and Barva, settled in humble huts and dedicated themselves to agriculture. Many of these humble Spaniards arrived to the territory believing they would find great riches such as gold, but they soon realized that it was a territory rich in healthy and fertile valleys, ideal for farming.

Over the years, the formation of families made up of Spaniards and indigenous people gave rise to complete colonization. It is clear that many Spaniards emigrated from their country bringing with them their customs, arts, animals, but notably their religion with Christian fervor. It is from 1706 that this deep-rooted Catholicism gives rise to the origin of the city of Heredia.

Alvirilla and Barva were the fertile valleys where the first emigrants who populated what we know today as the city of Heredia began to arrive. Once settled in the place, they understood the prevailing need to have a small church as a means of cohesion of the incipient town.

It is from the year 1706 that the inhabitants of the Alvirilla and Barva Valleys asked that a parish be founded for them. This parish was consolidated into a very small hermitage in what is now known as La Valencia. In 1712 the town already had eight adobe houses with straw roofs around the small hermitage; This place being unhealthy and swampy, the inhabitants decided to move their hamlet where the city of Heredia is today. The foundations of a new adobe temple were immediately placed in the same place where the current central church of Heredia is located, but quite far back to the northern sector of the block, with the southern sector being the cemetery of the small community.

The village grew until it became a fairly large community for that time and its humble temple became increasingly smaller and more uncomfortable. In the year 1797, the construction of the largest and most important public work that had ever been done in the small village of Cubujuquí began, the construction of the city's Catholic temple; the current church of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Cubujuquí was called this village, which became a town in 1763; In a period of 45 years, that small village with a weak hamlet became an entire town, calling itself Villa Vieja de la Inmaculada Concepción de Cubujuquí.

The name Heredia was inherited from a Spaniard, thanks to the sympathies felt by the residents and especially the politicians of Cubujuquí and in order to look good like the then Field Marshal i> of the royal armies of Spain, president of the Royal Court of Guatemala, governor and Captain General of Guatemala, Alonso Fernández de Heredia. Villa Vieja de la Inmaculada Concepción de Cubujuquí de Heredia, would later be just Heredia as all Costa Ricans know it.

In 1824 the Villa de la Inmaculada Concepción de Heredia became the City of Heredia.

Heredia during independence, Battle of Río Segundo

In the year 1823, the four main central towns of Costa Rica were allied two by two, on opposite sides. Heredia came to think in the same way as Cartago, while San José made common cause with Alajuela. The tension was such that two battles were fought: the Battle of Ochomogo that faced Cartago and San José, and the Battle of Arroyo in Río Segundo that faced Heredia and Alajuela.

In the battle in Río Segundo, the residents of Heredia attacked the "alajuelas" resolutely and they entered and paraded through the streets of Alajuela. In the surrender pact of the Alajuelenses, they agreed to swear an oath to the Empire within a period of 3 days; However, on the same day, April 5, a fierce battle was fought in Ochomogo in which Don Gregorio José Ramírez defeated the Carthaginians, thus signaling the triumph of the republican cause.

Heredia only had to surrender his weapons to General Ramírez who called on the Heredians to unify their feelings with the other members of the Costa Rican family. Thus Heredia had to join the cause of the republic, somewhat convinced of his failure, especially because at some moments something else had been expected with his triumph over Alajuela.

Heredia as capital of Costa Rica

On September 2, 1835, the Supreme Head of the State of Costa Rica, Don Braulio Carrillo Colina, passed the law that put an end to the Ambulance Law and moved the capital to the city of the Immaculate Conception from Cubujuquí de Heredia "until the buildings necessary to house the capital are built in Murciélago (today Tibás). The idea of placing the capital in San Juan del Murciélago responded to the fact that the 4 main cities of Costa Rica (San José, Cartago, Heredia and Alajuela) could not agree on where to set the capital, so they decided to look for a fifth option. which would be the Murciélago, and although the capital was never moved to such a place, Heredia would occupy the capital while the necessary buildings were built in the Murciélago. In this way, Heredia becomes the 4th capital in the history of Costa Rica and would hold this title for 4 years. In Heredia, the Supreme Head of the State of Costa Rica, Mr. Manuel Aguilar Chacón, took office, as well as the vice-chief Juan Mora Fernández; A mass was celebrated in the Immaculate Conception Parish by priest Joaquín Carrillo, and in the Legislative Precinct (which was located where the Hotel América is today), the Head of State was handed over to him.

Heredia remained the capital of Costa Rica until June 1838 when the idea of moving the capital to Murciélago was abandoned and Braulio Carrillo Molina himself ordered the Legislative Power to move again to San José where the capital of Costa Rica would remain. Rich to this day and would never move from there again.

The League War

Localism found favorable ground in these struggles that occurred shortly after independence. Its maximum manifestation was the so-called "Ambulance Law", by virtue of which the supreme authorities had to reside within a period of four years, in Alajuela, Heredia, San José and Cartago, according to the order in that was established. Heredia had a very active participation in all these events, through some of his most representative characters. Among them, Nicolás Ulloa Soto should be mentioned first, who was an active businessman and politician, promoter of public education and brave defender of national liberties in 1835. He was municipal president and mayor of Heredia in 1828; He was also a deputy, senator and president of the Congress of Costa Rica in 1833. He had the opportunity to be Head of State of Costa Rica in 1835, but he rejected the position. For this reason, Don Braulio Carrillo Colina assumed the leadership of the State, who saw the establishment of the Assembly and the Representative Congress in the city of Heredia.

Carrillo had serious setbacks during his government and San José had to face an alliance or league of the cities of Cartago, Alajuela and Heredia. In September of the same year, 1835, the rebellion began, and although there were negotiations in Tibás, not far from the Virilla River, the tense situation remained. On October 7, the aforementioned populations declared war on the "enemy city" from San jose. Shortly after the conflict began, San José defeated the troops of Cartago and the leaders of said city moved their headquarters to the city of Heredia, with Nicolás Ulloa becoming the normal leader of La Liga on October 18. New conversations led to nothing and on the 28th of the same month, the Josephites triumphantly entered Heredia after having fought on the Virilla bridge. After a new fight, the Josephine soldiers also took over Alajuela, which they occupied during the night of the same day.

Thus the fight ended, and with it tranquility returned to all the towns, where the most notable ringleaders were hardly punished.

Chronology

• 1575 the Church of Barva is created.
• 1706 arises the first population with migrants of Cartago.
• 1736 is erected the Parish of the Immaculate Conception of Cubujuquí.
• 1763 is granted the title of villa by the authorities of Guatemala and the name is changed to Villa de Heredia.
• 1825 is considered a district.
• 1841 is categorized as a department.
• 1848 becomes a province.

Symbols

• Flag

The flag that has been used to represent the Province of Heredia has been the flag of the central canton of the Province. The flag consists of three stripes with the colors yellow, white and red; the white stripe is twice as wide as the red and yellow. The reason for the red and yellow colors is linked to the fact that Heredia has been identified with those colors for many years due to its sports emblems; The appearance of the red and yellow colors in Herediano sports precedes the creation and adoption of the province's flag and with the passage of time, these colors affected the feelings of the Heredian population, so when creating the flag their colors are taken into consideration; Today, many sports associations throughout the province use the colors red and yellow. On the other hand, the historical connection that Heredia has had with religion meant that yellow and white, colors of the Catholic Church, were used at the same time.

This is how sports and religious colors were used in the representation of the flag of Heredia, which in one way or another were part of the current construction of what the province is, so the colors yellow, white and red were those used.

In the center of the flag on the white stripe is the shield of the province

• Shield

The origin of the shield of the province dates back to 1929, with other historical circumstances that promoted it, given that the current administrative division by cantons did not exist. Since 1848, it has been used, and it is not until today that the initiative to propose its own shield is presented.

Fadrique Gutiérrez, with his ingenuity and knowledge, inherited the Fortín to Heredia, a majestic and unique work in the Heredian civil sphere, rich in legends and history, which the Heredians have pointed out as synonymous with their identity, for which it was proposed that be the main figure of the shield; ratified and modified in Ordinary Session of the Municipal Council #324-92, on September 21, 1992.

A Spanish shield with two partitions or divisions that will carry: in the central division a silver fort similar to the one built by Fadrique Gutiérrez (which is located on the east side of the Municipal Palace), inscribed in a red field and a field blue around red.

At the top there is a red ribbon, folded with the following legend: PEACE - WORK - PROGRESS, in yellow letters, in the same way, at the bottom there will be a ribbon that says " HEREDIA, 1848" date of foundation of the Province of Heredia, according to decree N. 167 of 7-12-1848. They are located between the blue box and the lower ribbon, joined by a blue ribbon bow, on the right a branch with five open red roses with their respective leaves (10 in total), which symbolize the beauty of the Heredian woman and on the On the left is a coffee bandola with the ripe fruit and its respective leaves, which symbolizes a historical product of the province.

Geography

The province of Heredia forms a strip of land that extends from north to south to the center of the Republic. It borders to the north with the Republic of Nicaragua, to the south with San José, to the west with Alajuela and to the east with Limón. The highest point is the Barva Volcano also called "Las Tres Marías" rising to 2,906 m above sea level. n. m. which is part of the Central Volcanic Mountain Range; This volcano is located within the Braulio Carrillo National Park, this park being one of the

largest extension in Costa Rica covering a large part of the province of Heredia. The Cacho Negro Volcano located between the district of Vara Blanca and the canton of Sarapiquí is a volcano that is inactive today; It is also part of the Braulio Carrillo National Park and rises to 2150 m above sea level. n. m. Other important elevations in Heredia are Cerro Dantas and Chompipe in the canton of San Rafael where there are several waterfalls open to the public, the Tibás, Turú, Caricias and Zurquí hills in the canton of San Isidro and Cerro Guararí (also known as Cerro Inglés or Cerro Picacho) located between the cantons of Santa Bárbara and Barva.

Heredia is also surrounded by the Desengaño pass which is located between the Barva and Poás volcanoes, and the La Palma pass located between the Barva and Irazú volcanoes. Both passes are important for the communication of the country with the northern area and the Caribbean slope and these, in turn, allow the entry of the trade winds into the Central Valley.

Most of the Province of Heredia is made up of low areas and plains located in the north of the province from the northern slopes of the Barva Volcano to the border with Nicaragua along the canton of Sarapiquí, thus contrasting with the south where the highest elevations occur. Nine of the 10 cantons of the province are located in the Central Valley of Costa Rica where, at the same time, most of the population is located. The provincial capital, the City of Heredia, is located in the Central Valley at an altitude of 1,150 m above sea level. n. m.; In the canton of Barva is the community of Sacramento, which is above 2200 m above sea level. n. m.; while on the other hand, the community of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí is only 37 m above sea level. n. m. Due to the low altitude and the presence of rivers with high flow, during the rainy season there are usually floods in some parts of the canton of Sarapiquí with which many of its residents have had to deal.

Relief

Hydrography

The Province of Heredia has two hydrographic systems: that of the North subslope and that of the Pacific Slope. The rivers of the Northern Subslope have an almost total drainage on the Sarapiquí River and this in turn on the San Juan River of Nicaragua; while others, to a lesser extent, drain into the Colorado River and both, in turn, flow into the Caribbean Sea.

The other system is that of the Pacific Slope which drains into the Virilla River and this in turn into the Grande de Tárcoles. A few such as the Itiquís, Tambor and other small tributaries of the Poás river are finally summarized in the Poás which is also a tributary of the Grande de Tárcoles.

Some of the main rivers in the province of Heredia are:

• Rio Virilla

This river is born in the Central Volcanic Mountain Range and belongs to the Pacific Slope, which pours its waters into the Río Grande de Tárcoles that flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most important basins in Costa Rica since it houses the main populations of the country. Because of this, it drains most of the sewage from the Greater Metropolitan Area, making it also one of the most polluted rivers in Costa Rica.

The Virilla River runs through the southern end of the province of Heredia, serving as the provincial boundary between it and the province of San José. The Heredia cantons that have a riverbank with it are Santo Domingo, Heredia and Belén and there are currently 6 road bridges and 2 railway bridges that cross the river between these two provinces. In 1922, Compañía Nacional Hidroeléctrica, S.A. emerged, which installed the Electriona Hydroelectric Plant on the Virilla River between the cantons of Belén and Santa Ana, with a power of 2,720kW.

On October 28, 1835, on the banks of this river, the decisive Battle of the Virilla River took place, which allowed the victory of the troops of the city of San José over those of Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago, in the framework of the War of the League, which consolidated the first city as the capital of the country. One of the sadly famous events of this river was a major railway accident that occurred on March 14, 1926, when three train cars derailed when it was crossing a bridge over the Virilla River canyon, claiming the lives of 248 people, in the worst railway tragedy in the history of the country.

• Río Sarapiquí

The Sarapiquí is the longest river in the province of Heredia with a total length of 85Km. Its source is located in the northern foothills of the Central Volcanic Mountain Range between the Barva and Poás volcanoes and flows into the San Juan River in Nicaragua, which in turn flows into the Caribbean Sea. Within the province of Heredia it runs through the Vara Blanca district and the canton of Sarapiquí, which bears its name due to this river.

The Sarapiquí River has had a very important economic, tourist and historical role at the national level. Throughout colonial and republican history, the Sarapiquí River was of great importance for the country, since through its waters the inhabitants of the Central Valley were able to make their way to the Atlantic, sailing through its waters until they reached the San Juan and from there seek passage to the Caribbean Sea, this being the first transportation route between Costa Rica and Europe. Currently, it is a very important communication route between the populations that settle near its banks, allowing the transfer to and from other communities and also allowing them to transport merchandise for sale.

Due to the great biodiversity that lives in its surroundings, the perfect climate and crystal clear waters with great flow make the area very attractive for thousands of national and international tourists who enjoy nature tours such as safaris on rafts or motor boats, culture as well as coffee and chocolate tours and of course adventure such as canopy in this paradise and rafting in any of the sections of the river, offering excellent options from class I to extreme Class IV.

The Sarapiquí River is considered national heritage due to the important service it provided in 1856 during the war against the filibusters in the 56-57 Campaign, being the means of transportation for weapons, merchandise and soldiers that allowed the victories in the Battles of Sardinal and San Juan.

Some of the main tributaries of the Sarapiquí River are the Paz, Ángel, Puerto Viejo, Sucio, Sardinal, Toro and Ceiba rivers.

• Chirripó Norte River

The Chirripó Norte is formed by the union of the Patria and Sucio rivers, within the Braulio Carrillo national park, at the foot of the Irazú Volcano, then runs from south to north across the Sarapiquí plains for 96 km, until it meets the Colorado River, a branch of the San Juan River, which in turn flows into the Caribbean Sea. Its main tributaries are the Corinto, Costa Rica, Blanco and Toro Amarillo rivers. The Chirripó Norte presents an average flow of 65.7 m³/s. Its channel constitutes the natural limit between the provinces of Heredia and Limón in the cantons of Sarapiquí and Pococí respectively, which in turn are joined by a 460-meter-long railway bridge, the longest in Central America, which crosses the river at the height of San Cristóbal de Río Frío.

The Chirripó River basin, also called Chirripó-Colorado basin, has an area of 1638 km² and is the most important basin that irrigates the north of the Huetar Atlantic Region of Costa Rica and Sarapiquí, which greatly helps banana production that occurs in areas of the province, mainly in Río Frío. Like other rivers that descend from the Irazú Volcano, the abrupt change in slope that occurs when descending from the mountain range towards the plains produces a large sedimentation that obstructs the Chirripó channel, making it prone to flooding and alluvial fans, and the formation of meanders and lagoons such as the Garza lagoon, which is located in the course of the Chirripó River. Historically, two major floods of the Chirripó Norte River stand out, which occurred in 1970 and 1996, which caused great material losses to the affected towns, in addition to leaving them incommunicado for several days. During the 1996 flood, the river undermined the foundations of the railway bridge, seriously damaging its infrastructure.

• Colorado River

The Colorado River is a river belonging to the northern sub-slope of the Caribbean Slope that irrigates the northeastern end of the Province in the canton of Sarapiquí and serves as a natural boundary between the provinces of Heredia and Limón. It is born as an arm of the San Juan River, detaching itself from it and forming an arc towards the southeast, later dividing into two branches: the Colorado River itself, and the Caño Bravo River, which separate the river islands of Brava and Calero. Both rivers eventually flow into a delta in the Caribbean Sea. A natural alluvial process produced profound changes, dragging a large amount of sediments into the San Juan River in its terminal part in a period that probably went from the years 1840 to 1850, or even before that, making most of the flow The San Juan River (Nicaraguan jurisdiction) will be diverted to the Colorado River (Costa Rican jurisdiction).

The only Heredian community that has a riverbank on the Colorado is the town of Delta de Sarapiquí, which has a police station very close to the fork of the San Juan River and the Colorado River. The river continues surrounding the Barra del Colorado, forming small lagoons on its side such as Laguna Garza

• Second

The Segundo River rises on the southern slopes of the Barva Volcano and plays the role of natural boundary between the province of Heredia and the province of Alajuela between the cantons of Belén and central Alajuela respectively.

Rivers of the province of Heredia according to slope and other important rivers:

Administrative division

The province of Heredia is divided into 10 cantons which in turn are divided into 47 districts.

Of the ten cantons, the canton also called Heredia has the peculiarity of not being contiguous (yellow on the map). Its district of Vara Blanca is located south of the canton of Sarapiquí.

The largest canton is Sarapiquí with 2,150.5 km² (its surface represents 80.5% of the total area of the province) while the smallest canton is Flores with just 6.96 km² (representing 1. 8% of the province) being, in turn, the smallest canton in the entire country. In the same way, the district of Barva is the smallest in all of Costa Rica.

Except for the canton of Sarapiquí and the district of Vara Blanca, all the other cantons of the province are part of the Metropolitan Area of the Central Valley. However, despite being the largest areas in the entire province, the majority of the population of Heredia is located in the 9 cantons located to the south.

Cantons of the Province of Heredia

Demography

According to the 2011 census carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), the total population of the province of Heredia was 433,677 inhabitants, of which 222,431 were women and 211,246 were men. 86% of the population is considered urban. In that same census, it was determined that there were 122,410 occupied homes, of which 73.9% were in good condition and overcrowding problems were detected in 3.9% of the homes.

Other demographics:

• Literacy: 98.4%
• Average schooling: 9.8 years.
• Population born abroad: 10.0%

Social Development in the Province of Heredia

Evolution of the Human Development Index (HDI) in the province of Heredia
Canton	Puntaje Year 2007	National position	Puntaje Year 2009	National position	Puntaje Year 2011	National position
Heredia	0.840	11	0.827	18	0.822	22
Barva	0.838	12	0.816	22	0.829	20
Santo Domingo	0.918	2	0.929	2	0.961	1
Barbara	0.817	15	0.796	28	0.814	23
San Rafael	0.849	9	0.863	9	0.885	9
San Isidro	0.886	7	0.860	10	0.863	11
Bethlehem	0.903	4	0.898	5	0.932	2
Flowers	0.908	3	0.873	7	0.919	5
Saint Paul	0.828	13	0.870	8	0.919	8
Sarapiqui	0.659	72	0.644	77	0.655	77

Politics

Local governments of the Province of Heredia

Mayors and Municipal Presidents of the Province of Heredia
Canton	Mayor	Political Party	Municipal President	Political Party
Heredia	José Manuel Ulate Avendaño	PLN	Manrique Chávez Borbon	PLN
Barva	Claudio Segura Sánchez	FA	Damáris Zárate Murillo	PUSC
Santo Domingo	Randall Madrigal	PLN	Abel Chacón Zamora	ML
Barbara	Melvin Alfaro Salas	PLN	Venus Gutiérrez Alfaro	PLN
San Rafael	Verny Valerio	PLN	Carlos Rodríguez Chávez	ML
San Isidro	Melvin Villalobos Argüello	PLN	Rolando Zamora Villalobos	PAC
Bethlehem	Horacio Martín Alvarado Bogantes	PUSC	Desiderio Solano Moya	GDPE
Flowers	Gerardo Antonio Rojas Barrantes	PLN	Mayela Maritza González Camacho	PUSC
Saint Paul	Aracelly Salas Eduarte	PUSC	Lucia Montoya Quesada	PAC
Sarapiqui	Pedro Rojas Guzmán	PLN	Carlos Bejarano Rodríguez	PRC

Heredia in national politics

Since 2012, the Province of Heredia gained a deputy for the national legislative elections. Before 2012, Heredia could get 5 national deputies; However, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) based on the latest result of the National Census of 2011, Heredia won 1 deputy and can now elect 6 deputies who look after their interests. He won this extra seat at the expense of a seat that the province of San José lost.

National Representatives for the Province of Heredia (Period 2014-2018)
Representative	Political Party	Canton of Procedence
Henry Manuel Mora Jiménez	PAC	Heredia
Marlene Madrigal Flores	PAC	Heredia
Ronny Monge Salas	PLN	Heredia
Maria Lorelly Trejos Salas	PLN	Heredia
José Antonio Ramírez Aguilar	FA	Barva
William Gerardo Alvarado Bogantes	PUSC	Bethlehem

Economy

Economic activity in the Province of Heredia is very varied depending on the area and canton. In times past, Heredia, like most of all of Costa Rica, depended solely on the primary sector focused on the production and export of coffee to markets such as the United States and Europe mainly. Currently, large areas of land dedicated to coffee cultivation have been giving way to residential, commercial and industrial developments; Even so, coffee continues to represent one of the largest agricultural activities in the south of the province of Heredia. In the high areas, livestock farming, as well as the cultivation of strawberries, has been one of the main activities, while in the north of the province there has been strong development in the production of bananas and, more recently, pineapple. Other products that are grown in Heredia are palm hearts, citrus fruits, beans, mushrooms, sugar cane, among others. The National Food Distribution Center (CENADA) is located in Heredia.

Currently, the province of Heredia is home to large transnational companies that have helped boost the Costa Rican economy by generating hundreds of jobs. Another area in the change in the province's panorama has been residential development, both vertical and in condominiums.

Agriculture

• Coffee

The province of Heredia still has a considerable amount of land dedicated to coffee production; These are located mainly in the southern and central area of the province. According to the National Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (icafé), in the province of Heredia in 2012 there were still 4,969.30 hectares of land dedicated to the production of the grain, with Santa Bárbara being the canton that dedicated the most hectares to this activity and Sarapiquí the least. Below is a table that shows the total hectares per canton, dedicated to coffee production in the Province of Heredia.

Several companies in charge of the coffee process are based in the Province of Heredia. Café Britt's headquarters are located in Mercedes Norte in the central canton of Heredia; This company has more than 90 destination stores in 7 different countries, in addition to designing most of its products and integrating all its physical and virtual channels. The company operates in Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Chile, the United States, Curaçao, Antigua and Barbuda, New Caledonia and the Dominican Republic, being a benchmark for Costa Rican coffee.

• Strawberry

The cultivation of strawberries is a very important sector in the districts of Vara Blanca and San José de la Montaña where it has become one of the main economic activities in the region. In Vara Blanca there are around two million strawberry plants. In this area, the inhabitants are dedicated to the production of milk and especially strawberries. It is estimated that there are around 25 producers of this fruit in this region, where each one produces about 500 kilos of strawberries per year.

Currently, Vara Blanca even has the National Strawberry Fair in which producers of this fruit can offer visitors this fruit, as well as producers of strawberry-based products such as yogurts, jellies, wines, cakes, cookies, etc.

Currently, the province of Heredia (mainly the Vara Blanca and San José de la Montaña districts) is responsible for 22% of the country's strawberry production, making it the second province in production of this fruit, behind Alajuela. and ahead of San José and Cartago. In Heredia there are currently more than 26 hectares of land dedicated to this purpose.

The majority of this production ends up at the Farmer's Fairs, a high percentage also ends up in factories such as El Ángel, Hortifrutti or Cerro Blanco. Vara Blanca has begun projects to make fruit a development point for community rural tourism by carrying out "strawberry tour" to national and foreign visitors.

• Banana

Bananas have played a very important role in the Costa Rican economy. The province of Heredia has been one of the main points in the production of this fruit along with the province of Limón. The canton of Sarapiquí has been the main point of development for banana farms and although pineapple production has been gaining strength in this region, bananas continue to represent a strong point.

• Pineapple

Pineapple has been a crop that has been gaining strength in the province of Heredia. For the year 2009, the canton of Sarapiquí reported nearly 3,000 hectares dedicated to the planting of this product, being after San Carlos, the largest pineapple producer in the Northern Zone of the country; In Sarapiquí it develops especially in the districts of La Virgen and Horquetas and its agricultural frontier continues to increase. In 2013 at the national level, Costa Rica reported a 7% increase in its exports, with its main destinations being the United States, Holland, United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Russia, Canada, among others.

Among the main pineapple producers in the province of Heredia are Nueva Veragua, Transunion and CORSICANA. Currently, several of the companies dedicated to pineapple production in Sarapiquí have ventured into the production of organic pineapple.

At the national level, according to information provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the number of hectares planted with pineapple increased by 287.5% between 2000 and 2010. Today the area reaches 46,000 hectares throughout Costa Rica.

Tourism

The tourism sector is very strong in the province of Heredia, taking advantage of the scenic beauty of its mountains as well as the thick forest and rivers of its northern area, taking advantage of both business tourism and ecotourism.

The south of the province focuses mainly on the 9 cantons in the south of the province where most of the tourism is executive or mountain tourism. Heredia's proximity to the city of San José, the Juan Santamaría International Airport, which are linked by the General Cañas Highway and Route 3, as well as its proximity to other important business centers such as Santa Ana or Escazú, have made it Heredia is a magnet for large international hotel chains; Marriott, Wyndham, Hilton, and City Express hotels are located here, which are mainly focused on serving business tourists. In the southern area there are hotels such as the Hotel Bougainvillea located in Santo Domingo de Heredia; In the center of the City of Heredia there are hotels such as Hotel América, Hotel Valladolid, among others.

The mountainous area of Heredia has a wide variety of tourist attractions as well as lodging options from hotels to cabins which are frequented by both national and foreign tourists who want to spend time in the middle of nature and a typical cooler climate. from the high areas of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Among the main tourist attractions of the Heredian mountainous area are Monte de la Cruz, Bosque de la Hoja, Braulio Carrillo National Park Barva Volcano Sector, Cerro Dantas, Bosque Caricias, Canopy Aventuras Zurquí, etc. Some of the best-known hotels in this area are La Condesa and El Tirol, both located in the canton of San Rafael, cabins and chalets are more common, among them are La Ardillas, Cabañas Tamarak, both in Barva. The Vara Blanca region offers options such as the Poás Volcano Lodge or the Caciquita Hotel that take advantage of the proximity to the Poás Volcano as well as the La Paz Waterfall Gardens as attractions.

The canton of Sarapiquí has great importance in the ecotourism sector, being a national benchmark for the attractions it offers. Rafting and kayaking in the waters of the Sarapiquí River are highly frequented by national and foreign tourists; several companies revolve around this activity which offer different activity packages in the region. Canopy is another adventure sport widespread in the canton.

Since Sarapiquí is an area so rich in flora and fauna, it is also a popular destination for those who like bird watching. The La Selva Biological Station is located in this sector, which is mainly dedicated to studies, making it an attractive place for those who carry out scientific studies and research. Places like Rara Avis, Mirador Prendas, Lake Jalapa, Barra del Colorado, Tirimbina are some of the various tourist destinations that northern Heredia offers.

Among the hotel options offered in the canton of Sarapiquí are the Hotel Sueño Azul, Albergue Selva Verde, Hotel La Quinta, Sarapiqui Rainforest Lodge, etc.

Among the agritourism activities, the CoffeeTour held by Café Britt stands out, which opened its doors in 1991 offering an entertaining and informative way to experience the origins of gourmet coffee. Café Britt shares many of Costa Rica's gourmet coffee secrets and deepest traditions with visitors from around the world.

The Café Britt plantation and tour has become one of the largest tourist attractions in Costa Rica, with more than 500,000 visitors from amateurs, true coffee connoisseurs and business travelers.

The Corsicana Farm in La Virgen de Sarapiquí dedicated to the production of pineapple also offers an organic pineapple tour where the tour begins through a pineapple plantation in a comfortable cart designed for this purpose, in which you will observe the protected wild areas, giving the tourist a historical pineapple recipe and explanation of the morphology and development of the plant. Then you will visit the packing house to learn about the fruit packaging process and then the ornamental pineapple production area. At the end the tourist can enjoy a snack including a piña colada.

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  Sarapiqui is an ideal destination for bird watching

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  The National Masquerade Fair attracts national and foreign tourists every year

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  Many people visit the high areas of Heredia for their calf meat, typical of the area

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  The Heredia Mountains attract those who want to enjoy panoramic views of the Central Valley

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  Lake Jalapa in Sarapiqui is a destination for ecotourism lovers

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  The National Park Braulio Carrillo Sector Volcano Barva is a very visited place for those who make mountain hikes

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  La Catarata Rara Avis is located in the Braulio Carrillo National Park in the canton of Sarapiquí

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  Vara Blanca is a region very visited by tourists due to the natural and scenic attractions in the area

Industry and Commerce

A large number of trans and multinational companies have settled in the province of Heredia, taking advantage of the strategic position located near both San José and the Juan Santamaría International Airport, which are in turn linked by the General Cañas Highway which It passes between the cantons of Heredia and Belén. It is precisely in these 2 cantons where a large number of companies are located, many of them under the Free Zone regime; Of them to mention are:

• Global Park
• Ultra Park
• Ultra Park 2
• Ultralag
• Metropolitan Franca Zone
• Zona Franca América
• BATCCA Park
• Eurocenter
• Tribu
• Intel

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  Global Park in La Aurora de Heredia

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  Eurocenter in Barreal de Heredia

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  Zona Franca América, Heredia

Within these areas and outside them, a large number of both national and international companies are located; some to mention are Firestone, Amanco, Pipasa, EPA, Kimberly-Clark, Pedregal, Belca, Intel, Lizano, Unilever, Trimpot, Sykes, Hewlett Packard, International Business Machines (IBM), Hospira, Amazon, National Instruments, Accenture, Boston Scientific, Café Britt, Convergys, Dell, DHL, Diursa, Experian, Fujitsu, Language Line, Pfizer, Florida, Cervecería Costa Rica, etc.

In Heredia there are important shopping centers such as Mall Paseo de las Flores, Oxígeno and Plaza Real Cariari, promoting local economic growth.

National parks and protected areas.

The province of Heredia has a good part of its territory dedicated to environmental conservation. The province has three Protective Zones, two Wetlands, two Forest Reserves and a national park.

The Border Corridor Refuge Protective Zone borders the San Juan River, the border between Heredia and the Republic of Nicaragua. This Refuge extends across the entire border on the side.

The Barra del Colorado Refugio Protective Zone is located mostly in the province of Limón, although part of it is located within the limits of the province.

The La Cureña Forest Reserve is adjacent to the Laguna Maquenque Palustrino Wetland and the aforementioned Border Corridor Refuge and are located in the San Carlos Plains near the Town of Palo Seco in the northern part of the province.

The Tamborcito Lake Wetland is also adjacent to the Border Corridor Refuge.

The La Selva Protective Zone is located to the south of Puerto Viejo, head of the canton of Sarapiquí.

The Braulio Carrillo National Park along with the Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve are found mostly within the limits of the province, although they extend from the province of Alajuela to Limón, passing through San José and Cartago.

The Braulio Carrillo National Park includes the two volcanoes of the province of Heredia, the Barva volcano (2906 m a.s.l.) and the Cacho Negro volcano (2150 m a.s.l.), both inactive.

Cerro Guararí (2599 m a.s.l.) and the Cerro Dantas Refuge are located within the Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve.

Other Attractions

This province has remnants of the colonial tradition, both in the adobe houses that can be seen along some of the streets of Barva and Santo Domingo and in the beautiful neo-Gothic churches in the towns of San Isidro and San Rafael. In 1985, the President of the Republic, Luis Alberto Monge, named the city of Barva as the first national historical center.

Heredia has many sugar mills, coffee mills and sawmills. It also has weaving, shoe, synthetic fiber and clothing assembly industries. It also has beer, soap, printing and flower industries.

This has good hotels such as the Cariari, the Herradura, the Marriott, La Condesa and also has important recreation centers such as the Balneario de Ojo de Agua (in the canton of Belén), the Castillo Country Club (in the canton of San Rafael), among others.

The province of Herediana is very picturesque, full of history and old traditions. It has beautiful forested mountains, plains and valleys irrigated by rivers that sometimes form waterfalls, lagoons or navigable transit for small boats; It also has attractions such as the Bosque de la Hoja, Monte de la Cruz, San José de la Montaña, the Braulio Carrillo national park in its Barva Volcano sector, the La Paz and El Ángel waterfalls. The canton of Sarapiquí has been characterized by a growing offer of tourist attractions such as canopy (zip line), whitewater rafting and mountain hiking.

INBioparque is located in the canton of Santo Domingo, which tries to promote the value of biodiversity and the importance of its conservation, through recreation and education of visitors. Within its facilities you can find typical flora and fauna of the area, as well as enjoy the country's cultural activities.

Illustrious hereditaries

This section lists a series of citizens who share the fact of being natives of Heredia and who have stood out in fields such as politics, law, education and research, whose contributions and influence on the development of the Nation, have been recognized over the years.

• Oscar Arias Sánchez, Nobel Peace Prize 1987, President of the Republic from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010.
• Carlos Meléndez Chaverri, historian.
• Rafael Moya Murillo, Head of State from 1844 to 1845.
• Cleto González Víquez, president of the Republic from 1906 to 1910 and from 1928 to 1932.
• Alfredo González Flores, President of the Republic from 1914 to 1917.
• Marco Tulio Salazar Salazar (1904-2001), educator and educator.
• Fernando Baudrit Solera, 1907-1975, attorney, President of the Supreme Court of Justice.
• Jeanette Benavides Gamboa, NASA's Biochemistry and Physics, nanotechnology pioneer.
• Jorge Manuel Dengo Obregón, 1918-2012, Civil Engineer, founder of the ICE, Vice President of the Republic and Benemeritus of the Homeland.
• Daniel Díaz González, 1935-1987, Músico, founding father of the La Aurora Leadership School.
• Fausto Pacheco, 1899-1966, painter of the national landscape.

Featured athletes

• Paulo Wanchope, ex-futbolist.
• Jafet Soto Molina, a former footballer.
• Mauricio Solís, a former footballer.

• See List of Heredians

Sports

The province of Heredia has a wide representation of sports teams throughout its 10 cantons. The City of Heredia hosted the National Sports Games in 1988 and in 2008; In addition, in this city there is the Sports Palace with capacity for 7,500 people, which also has swimming pools and a gym. In 2004, the Concacaf Futsal Championship was held in this venue and today it is the headquarters of the Ferretería Brenes Barva team, a team from the First Division of the National Basketball. Heredia is also home to 2 soccer teams from the first division of national soccer: Club Sport Herediano and the Belén Bridgestone team.

Football

The most outstanding team in the province of Heredia has been the Club Sport Herediano, founded on June 12, 1921. Herediano was the first soccer champion of Costa Rica in 1921, as well as the first two-time champion in 1922, the first three-time champion in 1932 and the first four-time champion in 1933. Its stadium is the Eladio Rosabal Cordero located in the center of the City of Heredia which has a capacity for 8,700 spectators; The stadium has hosted Costa Rica First Division finals, several official Concacaf matches, as well as friendly matches of the Costa Rican soccer team.

Club Sport Herediano is the third team in Costa Rica with the most titles obtained with a total of 28, of which the most recent was obtained in December 2019, in addition the team has won 10 Cup Tournaments. Herediano won the title of the "Team of the Great International Matches" for their notable triumphs against some of the most powerful teams in America and Europe, among them, Estudiantes de la Plata, San Lorenzo de Almagro from Argentina, Djugardens from Sweden, Sevilla from Spain, América from Mexico, Universidad de Chile, Alianza Lima and Audax Italiano and even had some brilliant tours to Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica and Mexico. In 1988 Herediano won the Camel Cup that was endorsed by CONCACAF, which they played against the Universidad de Guadalajara club in Mexico.

Club Sport Herediano has had a women's soccer team since 2014. The team that plays in the first division of Costa Rican women's soccer uses the same uniform as the men's team and uses the Eladio Rosabal Cordero as their home stadium.

In the first division of Costa Rican soccer, the Belén team also played, which used the Belén Sports Center as its headquarters and also the Eladio Rosabal Cordero Stadium itself. Its main achievements have been several titles in the Costa Rican Second Division (the last of them achieved in the 2010-11 season) and it was champion of the Cup tournament in 1996. Its foundation dates back to July 13, 1979 under the name of the Belén Sports Association. The best position that the Belemite team has had playing in the First Division has been fifth place.

Previously, the Barbareña Sports Association, whose headquarters is the Carlos Alvarado Villalobos Stadium in Santa Bárbara, also participated in the first division for the Province of Heredia. The ad. Barbareña rose to the first division in 1997 and made its debut on August 17, defeating the San Carlos Sports Association 2-1. Making a great effort, he played in the 2003-2004 championship, but due to lack of resources and support he disappeared, selling his franchise to Puntarenas F.C.

The Yuba Paniagua Club of San Rafael de Heredia was founded in 1976, and its name was a tribute to the outstanding soccer player of that canton Asdrúbal "Yuba" Paniagua. Yuba Paniagua disappeared in 1988, after playing several Second Division tournaments and Promotion Leagues through ANAFA.

Some of the Herediano clubs that are active in the National Amateur Football League (LINAFA) are the Barrealeña Sports Association, San Lorenzo F.C, the A.D. The Virgin, the Sarapiquí R.F, Los Ángeles Heredia, the A.D. Barveña, the A.D. San Rafael, the A.D. Santo Domingo, the A.D. Municipal San Pablo.

Champion football clubs in the inter regional phase (Senior Category)

Volleyball

Cultural Activities

The Heredia band performed at the Nicolás Ulloa park kiosk. The municipality of Heredia constantly carries out activities involving the cultural characteristics of the province of Heredia, the cradle of formal education in Costa Rica.

Folklore

Gallery

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  Catholic Church. Canton of San Isidro

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  Catholic Church. Barva Canton

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  Catholic Church. Canton of San Rafael

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  Catholic Church. Canton of Bethlehem

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  Catholic Church. Canton of Santo Domingo

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  Catholic Church. Canton of Flowers

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  Catholic Church. Canton of Saint Paul

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  Catholic Church. Canton of Santa Barbara