Heredia, Costa Rica

Heredia
City and municipality
Images, from top down, left to right: Church of the Immaculate Conception of Heredia, Central Park, the Fort and Amphitheatre of Heredia, the Eurocenter, Heredia skyline during the night.
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Ciudad de las Flores  (Spanish) "City of Flowers"
Motto: Libertad, Paz, y Progreso  (Spanish) "Liberty, Peace and Progress"
Heredia and surrounding area
Heredia Location of Heredia within Costa Rica
Coordinates: 9°59′47″N 84°7′0″W / 9.99639°N 84.11667°W / 9.99639; -84.11667Coordinates: 9°59′47″N 84°7′0″W / 9.99639°N 84.11667°W / 9.99639; -84.11667
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Heredia Province
Canton	Heredia Canton
Founded	1705
Districts	5 Heredia Mercedes San Francisco Ulloa Varablanca
Government
• Mayor	José Manuel Ulate Avendaño (PLN)
• Municipal Council President	Manuel de Jesús Zumbado Araya
Elevation	1,150 m (3,770 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	123,616
Climate	Aw
Website	http://www.heredia.go.cr/

Heredia (Spanish pronunciation: [eˈɾeðja]) is a city in the Heredia province of Costa Rica, of which it is the capital; it is 10 kilometers to the north of the country's capital, San José.

The city is home to one of the largest colleges in Costa Rica, the National University of Costa Rica, which accepts many international students.

History

Cultural centre "Escuela República de Argentina"

Prior to its founding, the area around Heredia was inhabited by the native tribe that is known as the Huetares, who were commanded at the coming of the Spanish by the Cacique Garavito.^[1] In 1706 settlers from Cartago, set up a small church at a place they called "Alvirilla", which soon became more populated. Between 1716 and 1717 the settlers moved their village to the north, to a place the Indians called Cubujuquí. In 1736 Heredia was deemed sufficiently large to be granted its own parish, and the first incarnation of the Iglesia de la Inmaculada was built to serve as its parish church. In 1751, the Bishop of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Monseñor Pedro Agustín Morel de Santa Cruz supervised the founding of the first school in Heredia, which was run by the church. This school is now known as the Liceo de Heredia. In 1763 the town was promoted to the status of Villa; it was later renamed Heredia in honor of the President of the Real Audiencia of Guatemala who had conferred the status, don Alonso Fernández de Heredia. During the 18th century the area around Heredia was developed, with the founding Barva and other towns. On October 31, 1796, Padre Felix de Alvarado laid the foundation stone for the rebuilding of the Iglesia de la Inmaculada. The Municipality of Heredia was founded on 19 May 1812, and in 1824, Heredia was promoted to city by Juan Rafael Mora, the first President of the Republic. The 1848 constitution made Heredia the capital of Heredia Province, promoted it to cantón, and assigned it seven parishes.^[2]

For a brief period in the 1830s, Heredia served as the capital of Costa Rica.

Geography

Overview

Heredia is located north of San José and it is part of the greater metropolitan area.

Climate

Warm year-round, the temperatures are tempered by the amount of cloud cover that affects the area. The rains are spread throughout the year, but the rainiest period is May to October. The climate is relatively mild throughout the year.

Sports

The city's football club is Herediano, who have won the league title 23 times. They play their home games at the Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero.

Sister cities

• Marietta (Georgia, USA - sister city)
• Richfield (Minnesota, USA - friendship city)^[4]
•  Ariel, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank

Notable people

• Óscar Arias - winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.
• Alfredo González Flores - President of Costa Rica from 1914 to 1917. His home, the House of Culture-Alfredo Gonzales Flores, was declared a National Monument in November 1974.^[5]
• Fernando Baudrit Solera - former Dean of the College of Law at the University of Costa Rica and public jurist.

Gallery

• 
  Fortín de Heredia fortress
• 
  San Francisco Church
• 
  Immaculada Church
• 
  Central Post Office

See also

• Iglesia de la Inmaculada
• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad

References

External links

Media related to Heredia at Wikimedia Commons