# Puriscal (canton)

Puriscal is the 4th canton in the province of San José, Costa Rica. The head city of the canton is Santiago.

## Toponymy

In Spanish, a purisco is the flower of the common bean. A puriscal is a field of flowering beans.

## History

Puriscal canton was established by decree on 7 August 1868.

## Geography

Puriscal has an area of 555.02 km$^2$ (214.29 sq mi) and a mean elevation of 945 m (3,100 ft).
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.

## 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 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.
Mayors of Puriscal since the 2002 elections :
| Period | Name | Party |
| 2002–2006 | Carlos Araya Jiménez | PLN |
| 2006–2010 | Jorge Luis Chaves Gutiérrez | PLN |
| 2010–2016 | Manuel Espinoza Campos | PLN |
| 2016–2020 | Luis Madrigal Hidalgo | PUSC |
| 2020–2024 | Iris Cristina Arroyo Herrera | PLN |
| 2024–2028 | Iris Cristina Arroyo Herrera | PLN |

### Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called 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 (regidor propietario) is absent. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:
Current composition of the Municipal Council of Puriscal after the 2024 municipal elections :
| Political parties in the Municipal Council of Puriscal ||||||
| Political party | Political party | Political party | Regidores | Regidores | Regidores |
| Political party | Political party | Political party | № | Owner | Substitute |
| | National Liberation Party (PLN) | | 3 | Santiago Castro Fallas | Giovanni Mora Rodríguez |
| | National Liberation Party (PLN) | | 3 | Mireya Mora Jiménez | Mariangel Mora Herrera |
| | National Liberation Party (PLN) | | 3 | 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 |

## Demographics

Puriscal had an estimated population of 38,525 people in 2022, up from 33,004 at the time of the 2011 census.
Puriscal had a Human Development Index of 0.755 in 2022.
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.

## Districts

The canton of Puriscal is subdivided into the following districts:
* Santiago
* Mercedes Sur
* Barbacoas
* Grifo Alto
* San Rafael
* Candelarita
* Desamparaditos
* San Antonio
* Chires

## Transportation
### Road transportation

The following road routes cover the canton:
* National Route 136
* National Route 137
* National Route 239
* National Route 314
* National Route 316
* National Route 317
* National Route 318
* National Route 319
* National Route 324