Bagaces (canton)

Bagaces
Canton
Flag Seal
Bagaces canton
Bagaces Bagaces canton location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°30′56″N85°14′52″W / 10.515659°N 85.2477995°W / 10.515659; -85.2477995
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Guanacaste
Creation	7 December 1848 [1]
Head city	Bagaces
Districts	Districts Bagaces Fortuna Mogote Río Naranjo
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Bagaces
Area
• Total	889.07 km2 (343.27 sq mi)
Elevation	396 m (1,299 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	19,536
• Density	22/km2 (57/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	504
Website	www.bagaces.go.cr

Bagaces is a canton in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. ^{[2] [3]} The head city is in Bagaces district.

History

In the Pre-Columbian era, Bagaces was home to the Nicarao people who settled in Guanacaste after migrating from Central and southern Mexico. Evidence of Mesoamerican style markets and Jade showed that Bagaces had flourished during Pre-Columbian times. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} Bagaces was created on 7 December 1848 by decree 167. ^[1] Bagaces is also one of the oldest settlements in early Spanish conquest in the 1540s. It became an important town after 1601 when the "Mule Trail" was established communicating Cartago, the capital of the province, with Guatemala, the capital of the Captaincy General. Bagaces was a necessary night stop and later acquired fame because of its dry bisquist (Biscocho) and cheese (Queso Bagaces), an important supply for the long ride.

Geography

Bagaces has an area of 1,273.49 km² ^[8] and a mean elevation of 396 metres. ^[2]

The Salto River on the west and Tenorio River on the east delineate this canton, with the Tempisque River as the southern border and the northern border high in the Cordillera de Guanacaste. Miravalles Volcano sits near that border's midway point.

Districts

The canton of Bagaces is subdivided into the following districts:

1. Bagaces
2. Fortuna
3. Mogote
4. Río Naranjo

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1864	1,638	—
1883	991	−2.61%
1892	1,476	+4.53%
1927	1,890	+0.71%
1950	4,079	+3.40%
1963	9,836	+7.01%
1973	9,828	−0.01%
1984	10,103	+0.25%
2000	15,972	+2.90%
2011	19,536	+1.85%
2022	23,709	+1.78%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos [9] Centro Centroamericano de Población [10]

For the 2011 census, Bagaces had a population of 19,536 inhabitants. ^[11]

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 1
• National Route 6
• National Route 164
• National Route 165
• National Route 922
• National Route 923

References

1. Hernández, Hermógenes (1985). Costa Rica: evolución territorial y principales censos de población 1502 - 1984 (in Spanish) (1 ed.). San José: Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia. pp. 164–173. ISBN   9977-64-243-5. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
2. "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
3. División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 8 March 2017. ISBN   978-9977-58-477-5.
4. "The Kingdom Of This World".
5. "The Aboriginals of Costa Rica".
6. "Las culturas indígenas y su medioambiente".
7. "Central American Nahua".
8. "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
9. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
10. Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
11. "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.